Today in World War II History—Jan. 11, 1942

Japanese troops in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, 11 Jan 1942 (Imperial War Museum)

75 Years Ago—Jan. 11, 1942: Japanese land at Tarakan, Borneo and in Celebes in Netherlands East Indies.

Japanese take Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.

Operation Paukenschlag (“roll of the kettledrums”) is set to begin: first group of 5 German U-boats (U-66, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-130) takes up station off US East Coast; will sink 26 ships in a month.