- January 5
- In Canada, Cabinet accepts the proposal for "Big Army", with additional divisions for overseas duty, through either voluntary enlistment or conscription. [101.15]
- US President Franklin Roosevelt gives a special citation to Marine group VMF-211 that had defended Wake Island with "devotion to duty and splendid conduct." [87.71]
- In North Africa, German forces fall back to El Agheila. (This is the first British victory over a German land force in the war.) [508.1765,1790]
- January 7
- Soviet forces launch counteroffensives along the whole German/Russian front. [277.109]
- US and Filipino forces withdraw to Bataan. [766.36]
- January 9
- (1500 hours) Japanese begin artillery barrage of main defence line of Bataan. [830.861]
- January 10
- Japanese submarine I-6 torpedoes US aircraft carrier Saratoga 500 miles south west of Oahu. (The carrier is put out of action for five months.) [87.74]
- Planes from the US carrier Enterprise sink Japanese submarine I-70, 200 miles north-east of Oahu. [87.74]
- General Sir Archibald Wavell arrives in Java; Allies (American, British, Dutch, Australian) set up combined command in the Pacific. [830.848]
- January 11
- Japanese forces invade the Netherlands East Indies on Celebes and Borneo, quickly occupying the airport and oilfields. [166.354] [390.16] [830.848]
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- January 12
- Adolf Hitler orders the three capital ships at Brest harbor, France, to return to Germany. [831.828]
- January 13
- The Dutch garrison surrenders Borneo to the Japanese. [391.14]
- At the Washington Conference, Britain and the US formally ratify a plan for American long-range bomber forces to operate alongside British Bomber Command in Europe. The plan calls for an American bomber force of 3500 by April 1943. [84.138]
- German submarines begin an assault on coastal shipping on the east coast of the United States. [83.59] [127.6]
- At Saint James' in London, England, a conference is held of nine occupied countries of Europe. They issue a declaration against acts of vengeance by the general public against acts of violence. A principal war aim of governments of the conference is punishment of war crimes, and justice to those perpetrating crimes and those who ordered them. [806.21]
- January 15
- American British Dutch Australian (ABDA) command starts function at Batavia on Java. [830.848]
- January
- In Canada, the Vice Chief of the General Staff directs that the idea of a Canadian paratroop force be shelved indefinitely. [99.34]
- January 16
- Four groups of eight Japanese bombers and four fighters each attack Ambon and seaplane base at Halong, inflicting damage beyond repair. Dutch and American Catalina planes withdraw. [830.850]
- January 18
- (0200 hours) German submarine U-66 torpedoes and sinks Canadian passenger freighter Lady Hawkins 250 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA. Of 212 passengers and 109 crew, 71 survive five days in a life boat. [632.36] (January 19 [27.19])
- ABDA headquarters moves from Batavia to Lembang on Java. [830.848]
- January 20
- Soviet forces recapture Mozhaisk, near Moscow. [405.520]
- The Wannsee Conference is held in Germany, chaired by Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich. The conference is held to co-ordinate inter-agency co-operation and discuss strategy and financing of the Final Solution. [15.30] [152.56]
- Japanese forces cross the Thai border into Burma, making a major thrust toward Rangoon. [439.247] [522.1989]
- January 21
- US Army Air Force bombs and sinks Japanese steamer Nana Maru between Borneo and Celebes. [830.848]
- German forces under Erwin Rommel in North Africa strike back at British forces. [166.340] [508.1790]
- January 22
- (0300-0400 hours) First surface engagement by US warships since 1898, four US destroyers sink 3 Japanese transports at Balikpapan, Borneo. [830.848]
- In Canada, Parliament opposition leader R.B. Hanson demands an inquiry into the Canadian loss to Japanese forces at Hong Kong. Prime Minister King agrees. [5.61,80]
- January 23
- British aircraft spot German battleship Tirpitz near Trondheim, Norway. [29.86]
- January 24
- (0300-0630 hours) Japanese land at Balikpapan, Borneo; the garrison withdraws. [830.848]
- (Sunrise) Japanese land at Kendari, Celebes, and quickly capture the airport. [830.848]
- Japanese troops land at Kendari. [830.850]
- Japanese aircraft of carriers Soryu and Hiryu attack Ambon. [830.850]
- January 25
- Nine Japanese bombers destroy hangers and petrol installations at Laha airfield; Allies withdraw. [830.850]
- Siam declares war on the United Kingdom. [505.1]
- January 26
- The first American soldiers arrive in Britain, landing in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (With American forces stationed in the south-east and British forces concentrated in the south-west, this logically leads to the June 1944 European invasion alignment, leading to the American occupation of southern Germany, something the American president wanted to avoid.) [480.46] [766.36]
- January 27
- Japanese troops land at Pemangkat, Borneo. [830.850]
- January 28
- In Malaya, British troops begin a retreat from the mainland. [219.122]
- January 29
- Iran, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union sign a treaty in which Iran promises full access to its facilities to defend the country from aggression. Britain and the Soviet Union promise to respect Persian independence and integrity. [406.210] [526.31]
- Japanese forces on Borneo capture Pontianak and Singkawang II airfields. [830.850]
- January 31
- Japanese troops land on north and south coasts of Ambon, capturing the town. [830.850]
- (month unknown)
- The 1st Canadian Army is formed in England, under command of General Andrew McNaughton. [1.12]
- The 1st Polish Armoured Division is formed in England. [631.51]
- February 1
- Bombers and torpedo bombers from the US carrier Enterprise attack Japanese positions in Kwajalein and the island of Taroa in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. No planes are shot down. [87.80] [219.122]
- (evening) In the Philippines, about 13 Japanese landing barges are spotted approaching Agaloma Bay. [87.39]
- February
- Torpedo bombers from the USS Enterprise attack the Gilberts atoll of Jaluit. Four planes are lost. [87.81]
- February 2
- In the Philippines, P-40 fighter planes from Bataan Field attack Japanese landing barges in Agaloma Bay. Nine of 13 barges are destroyed, killing over 400 troops. [87.42]
- The British War Cabinet approves night bombing of French industrial plants. Up to this point, bombing in France had only been done in daylight, for fear of killing friendly civilians. French public opinion favored increased attacks on such factories. [84.116]
- February 5
- Submarine U-109 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Montrolite north-east of Bermuda in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. 28 die. [27.19]
- Japanese aircraft bomb Canadian passenger liner Empress of Asia off Singapore. The British government was using the ship as a troop carrier, taking 2253 men from Bombay India. Over 1000 men are rescued by Australian sloop Yarra. [27.19]
- February 8
- Philippine President Manuel Quezon proposes the USA immediately grant Philippines independence, the islands be neutralized, Philippine armydisband, and US and Japanese forces withdraw. US President Franklin Roosevelt refuses. [830.862]
- (evening) Japanese assault troops cross from Johore and land on Singapore, attacking along an eight-mile stretch. [35.40] [345.16] [439.255]
- February 9
- German Minister of Armaments and Munitions Dr. Fritz Todt dies in a plane crash, en route from Dnepropetrovsk to Munich. Adolf Hitler designates Albert Speer as successor. [166.308] [373.192]
- Japanese forces land on Makassar, Celebes, quickly occupying the town. [830.850]
- In New York harbor, the USS Lafayette (formerly Normandie) is accidentally ignited by a welding torch during conversion for troopship use. While fighting the fire, too much water poured into the ship capsizes it, setting it on its side in the harbor. (Salvaging and pumping out water takes 15 months and US$5 miliion.) [749.99]
- February 10
- Japanese forces take Banjermasin and Ulin airfield on Borneo. [830.850]
- Submarine U-564 torpedoes and shells Canadian merchant ship Victolite north-west of Bermuda. All 47 on board die. [27.19]
- Submarine U-136 torpedoes and sinks Royal Canadian Navy corvette Spikenard south of Iceland and west of Ireland. Spikenard was part of convoy SC-67, the first convoy of the "Newfie-Derry Run", from Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland. [27.12,19]
- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill instructs commanders on Singapore to battle to the last man, that senior officers should die with their troops. [439.255]
- February 11
- (2245 hours) Operation Cerberus: German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen leave Brest, heading through the Straits of Dover to German home ports. British Operation Fuller attempts to opose the ships reaching their destination. The ships are able to travel 300 miles without detection. [212.20] [831.829] (February 12 [84.102,343])
- February 12
- (1109 hours) British Royal Air Force patrols spot the three German warships traveling through the Straits of Dover. [212.20]
- Soviet troops capture Krasnodor. [519.1935]
- (1218 hours) Coastal guns of Dover, England, open fire on the three German warships passing by, and motor torpedo boats launch torpedo attacks, but score no hits. [212.20]
- (1230 hours) Six British Swordfish and eleven Spitfires attack the three German warships in the English Channel, but all Swordfish are shot down. [212.20]
- (1335 hours) British bombers begin attacks on the three German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen. By 1800 hours, 242 bombers have flown, but no ships have been hit. [84.105]
- (1431 hours) German battle cruiser Scharnhorst hits a mine, but is able to continue toward Kiel, at slower speed. [212.20] [831.833]
- German battle cruiser Gneisenau and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen arrive safely in Kiel harbor, Germany. Germans lost one small escort vessel and 17 fighter planes. British lost 41 aircraft. [831.833] (February 13 [84.105])
- February 13
- (dawn) German battle cruiser Scharnhorst arrives at Kiel, Germany. Scharnhorst is out of action for 12 months. [84.105] [831.833]
- German Admiral Erich Raeder proposes to Adolf Hitler that Germany's primary military tasks be the capture of Egypt and drive through to the Middle East, and for the army in Russia to capture Murmansk and seize oil wells in the Caucasus. War production should shift to submarines and planes to reduce the American flow of supplies to England. (Hitler decides against this. Instead, the army will receive first priority, to destroy the Soviet Red Army and eliminate its sources of strength.) [277.126]
- February 14
- A Directive from the British War Cabinet instructs Bomber Command to shift the primary emphasis of its attacks to specific industrial areas, including Essen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, and Cologne. [59.11] [84.112] [503] [831.817]
- (0830 hours) 1700 Japanese paratroopers land near Palembang and land at Banka, capturing the airfield. [830.850]
- Dutch destroyer Van Ghont strikes a reef in the Gaspar Strait and is scuttled. [830.850]
- February 15
- On Singapore, 130,000 British, Indian, and Australian men surrender to 35,000 Japanese forces, the greatest mass capitulation in British history. Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita accepts surrender of Singapore from British Lieutenant General A.E. Percival. [35.40] [84.105,343] [376.102] [439.255] [656.4] [830.849] (100,000 surrender [219.122]) (85,000 surrender [345.16])
- February 16
- British Bomber Command begins regular use of the Boston aircraft. [84.343]
- February
- US Brigadier General Ira Eaker arrives in England, to begin setting up the US 8th Air Force. [93.19]
- Swedish forces are brought to a state of readiness, fearing a possible German attack. [29.55]
- The German navy adds a fourth rotor to its Enigma message encoding machines. (British code-breakers are unable to break the code until December.) [83.260] [568.16] [704.31]
- February 17
- US Army General Douglas MacArthur reaches Australia and takes command of Allied forces. [766.36]
- Japanese troops invade Timor. [814.320]
- The Australian Cabinet authorizes the War Cabinet for total mobilization for war. [439.261]
- February 18
- The British Pacific War Council in London recommends that no more reinforcements be sent to the Netherlands East Indies, but that the existing garrison stay and fight the Japanese. [439.277]
- The Australian War Cabinet approves the production of 100 improved Wirraway aircraft. [439.261]
- (to February 19) Battle of Lombok Strait: Allies damage two Japanese destroyers and one transport; Japanese sink a Dutch destroyer and damage a light cruiser. [830.849]
- February 19
- (dawn) 242 Japanese planes attack Darwin, Australia, to destroy its usefulness as a launch and reinforcement base for the East Indies. Eight ships are sunk, including destroyer Peary, and nine ships are damaged. [439.267] [766.36] [792.22]
- Japanese troops capture Den Passar airfield, Bali. [830.850]
- US President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, giving the Secretary of War authority to exclude any persons from areas to provide security against sabotage and espionage. (This leads to 120,000 Japanese-Americans excluded, removed, and interned.) [428.A12] [713.60]
- February 20
- Japanese troops land at Dili and south of Kupang, Timor, taking both. [830.850]
- February 22
- Submarine U-129 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship George L. Torian off British Guyana in the Caribbean. [27.19]
- In England, Air Marshal Arthur Travers Harris becomes the new Commander-in-Chief, Bomber Command. [84.108] [478.52] [831.816] (February 20 [84.343])
- American British Dutch Australian command is dissolved. [830.850]
- Japanese paratroops take Penfui airfield, on Timor. [830.850]
- February 23
- Japanese submarine I-9 launches a floatplane near Oahu, for reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor. It completes its mission undetected. [87.74]
- Submarine U-129 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Lennox off British Guyana in the Caribbean. Two die. [27.19]
- Japanese submarine I-17 fires about 20 shells at an oil refinery at Ellwood near Santa Barbara, California, doing US$500 damage. [91.18] [219.123]
- February 24
- In Canada, an order-in-council, under the War Measures Act, authorizes the relocation of Japanese Canadians to internment camps. [5.66]
- Bombers and fighters from US carrier Enterprise make their first attack on Wake Island. No planes are lost. [87.81] [219.123]
- Russian forces encircle the entire II Corps of German 16th Army near Staraya Russa. [219.123]
- February 26
- In Canada, Japanese Canadians are ordered evacuated from the west coast. [166.354]
- (evening) British bombers score a direct hit on German warship Gneisenau, putting an end to it. [84.105]
- February 27
- Governor of Burma Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith orders the evacuation of capital Rangoon. (The order is countermanded by British Middle East Commander in Chief Field Marshal Archibald Wavell, but the evacuation to India is carried out a week later.) [439.271]
- Light aircraft carrier Langley is sunk by Japanese aircraft 50 miles south of Tjilatjap. [830.851]
- February 28
- Australian cruiser Perth and American cruiser Houston reach the Japanese Western Invasion Force disembarking troops. They damage three Japanese destroyers, sink a minesweeper and a transport, and force three transports to beach. [830.853]
- (2345 hours) Australian cruiser Perth sinks in Sunda Strait, victim of Japanese torpedoes. [660.35] [830.853]
- (to March 1) Japanese troops land at Merak, Bantam, Eretan Wetan, and Kragan. [830.853]
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