Today in World War II History—Dec. 10, 1941

Crew of battleship HMS Prince of Wales abandoning ship, off Malaya, 10 Dec 1941 (Australian War Memorial)

75 Years Ago—Dec. 10, 1941: British enter Tobruk, Libya, relieving 242-day German siege.

Off Malaya, Japanese aircraft sink British battleship Prince of Wales and British battlecruiser Repulse—first time in history that battleships are sunk by planes.

Japanese take Guam, Makin, and Tarawa.

First US bombing mission of the war, as B-17s of the 19th Bomb Group attack Japanese ships off Luzon in the Philippines.