Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 145

February 1, 1942

SBD-2 Dauntless dive bomber on carrier USS Enterprise prepares for takeoff during the 1 Feb 1942 Marshall Islands Raid (National Naval Aviation Museum: NNAM.1996.253.599)

80 Years Ago—Feb. 1, 1942: US ships and aircraft from carriers USS Enterprise and USS Yorktown strike the Marshall and Gilbert Islands in the first offensive action by the US in the war.

German Navy starts using 4-rotor Enigma machines, throwing off Allied code-breaking for eleven months.

Nazis form puppet government in Norway with Vidkun Quisling as prime minister.

Blue Star Mothers of America is established in Flint, MI, for mothers of servicemen and women.

The post February 1, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

January 31, 1942

Smoke from burning oil tanks rising above Singapore, Jan 1942 (Imperial War Museum: HU 3378)

80 Years Ago—Jan. 31, 1942: British forces complete withdrawal from Malaya to Singapore and blow up the causeway.

British withdraw from Moulmein, Burma; Japanese occupy.

New song in Top Ten: “Blues in the Night.”

The post January 31, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

January 30, 1942

US poster encouraging car clubs, WWII

80 Years Ago—Jan. 30, 1942: California congressional delegation urges evacuation of “enemy aliens.”

Emergency Price Control Act gives US Office of Price Administration the right to control prices.

Last automobiles from Chevrolet and DeSoto roll off US assembly lines until 1945.

The post January 30, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

January 29, 1942

German advances in Libya, January 21-July 7, 1942 (US Army map)

80 Years Ago—Jan. 29, 1942: Iran signs treaty of alliance with Britain and USSR, which promise to depart Iran 6 months after Axis defeat.

German troops under Gen. Erwin Rommel retake Benghazi, Libya, from British.

The post January 29, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

January 28, 1942

US poster, 1942

80 Years Ago—Jan. 28, 1942: US Navy PBO Hudson pilot claims to sink a U-boat off Newfoundland and radios “Sighted sub, sank same,” but no U-boat was sunk, an honest error.

US Eighth Air Force is activated in Savannah, GA, under Brig. Gen. Asa Duncan; originally intended for North Africa but will serve in Britain.

US Naval Magazine at Port Chicago, CA, is established as a subcommand of Naval Ammunition Depot at Mare Island.

The post January 28, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

January 27, 1942

Lt. Gen. Arthur Percival meeting with war correspondents, Singapore, Jan 1942 (Imperial War Museum: 4700-50 FE 583)

80 Years Ago—Jan. 27, 1942: Soviets take key rail center of Lozovaya, Ukraine, but Ukrainian offensive stalls.

British withdraw from Batu Pahat, Malaya, and begin withdrawal to Singapore.

Off Midway, US sub Gudgeon sinks Japanese sub I-73, the first US sub-on-sub victory.

The post January 27, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

January 26, 1942

Private Milburn Henke, presented to the press as the ‘first’ United States soldier to land in Northern Ireland, arrives at Dufferin Quay, Belfast, 26 January 1942 (Imperial War Museum: H 16847, photographer: Lieutenant Bainbridge)

80 Years Ago—Jan. 26, 1942: First US Army troops arrive in the United Kingdom as Convoy AT-10 carrying the 34th Infantry Division arrives in Belfast to relieve British troops.

US and Filipino forces withdraw to final defense line on the Bataan Peninsula, behind the Pilar-Bagac road.

The post January 26, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

January 25, 1942

Recruiting poster for the Royal Australian Air Force, WWII

80 Years Ago—Jan. 25, 1942: Japanese set up puppet government in Thailand, which declares war on US and UK.

Japanese land at Lae, New Guinea.

Australia orders full mobilization; all white male British subjects 18-45 years are eligible for conscription.

The post January 25, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—January 24, 1942

Curtiss P-40E with Flying Tigers paint scheme at National Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, OH (Photo: National Museum of the US Air Force)

80 Years Ago—Jan. 24, 1942: Battle of Makassar Strait—first US naval surface action in Asian waters since the Spanish-American War: US destroyers and US & Dutch aircraft sink six Japanese ships at Balikpapan, Borneo.

US Flying Tigers P-40s shoot down 12 bombers and fighters over Rangoon, Burma.

New song in Top Ten: “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good.”

The post Today in World War II History—January 24, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—January 23, 1942

Gen. Joseph Stilwell, 1943 (US Army photo)

80 Years Ago—Jan. 23, 1942: Japanese land at crucial naval and air base of Rabaul, New Britain, and take it.

Japanese land at Kavieng, New Ireland, and Kieta, Bougainville, and secure both.

Lt. Gen. Joseph Stilwell is placed in command of US Army forces in the China-Burma-India Theater.

The post Today in World War II History—January 23, 1942 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.