Japan
Tag
(371)1942
January
- 11
- The Japanese take Kuala LumpurOn 7 January 1942 Japanese tanks shattered the 11th Indian Division at the Slim River. Wavell gave up central Malaya; on 11 January Kuala Lumpur fell.
- The torpedoing of USS SaratogaOn 11 January 1942 the Japanese submarine I-6 torpedoed the carrier Saratoga off Hawaii. Six sailors were killed and the ship was out of action for five months.
- The Japanese invasion of the Dutch East IndiesOn 11 January 1942 the Japanese landed on Tarakan and near Manado, where they first used paratroops. The fight for the oil of the Dutch East Indies began.
- 31
- The Japanese take MoulmeinOn 31 January 1942 the British garrison of Moulmein withdrew across the Salween and the Japanese 55th Division took the town. The road to Rangoon lay open.
- The retreat to SingaporeOn 31 January 1942 the last Commonwealth units crossed from Johor to Singapore Island and sappers blew up the Causeway. The Battle of Malaya was over.
February
- 19
- The bombing of DarwinOn 19 February 1942 aircraft from Nagumo's carriers and from bases on Celebes and Ambon bombed Darwin, the largest attack ever made on Australia.
- Executive Order 9066On 19 February 1942 Roosevelt authorised the army to create exclusion zones, the basis for the incarceration of Japanese Americans from the West Coast.
- 20
- The Sittang Bridge disasterOn 23 February 1942 the British blew the Sittang bridge with most of the 17th Indian Division still on the far bank. The road to Rangoon lay open.
- The Japanese on Bali and TimorOn 19–20 February 1942 Japan took Bali and landed on Timor. Doorman lost a night battle in the Badung Strait, and on 23 February Sparrow Force surrendered.
March
- 08
- The Japanese at Lae and SalamauaOn 8 March 1942 the Japanese took Lae and Salamaua on the Huon Gulf unopposed. On 10 March aircraft from Lexington and Yorktown sank three transports offshore.
- The Japanese take RangoonOn 8 March 1942 the Japanese 33rd Division entered abandoned, burning Rangoon. The British army in Burma lost its only port, and China its supply route.
April
- 03
- The final offensive on BataanOn Good Friday, 3 April 1942, Homma's 14th Army attacked on Bataan. Mount Samat fell on 5 April, and by 8 April the starving defenders' front had collapsed.
- The bombing of MandalayOn Good Friday, 3 April 1942, Japanese bombers burned most of Mandalay. Accounts speak of some 2,000 dead, and the city emptied.
- 09
- The attack on TrincomaleeOn 9 April 1942 Nagumo's aircraft bombed the base at Trincomalee, then sank the carrier Hermes and the destroyer HMAS Vampire off the coast of Ceylon.
- Key eventThe fall of BataanOn 9 April 1942 General Edward King surrendered the forces on Bataan against orders. Some 75,000 men went into captivity; only Corregidor still held out.
- The Bataan Death MarchAfter Bataan fell on 9 April 1942 the Japanese drove some 76,000 prisoners north on foot to Camp O'Donnell. Thousands of men died on the way.
May
June
- 03
- The attack on Dutch HarborOn 3 and 4 June 1942 aircraft from Ryūjō and Jun'yō bombed Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians, opening the Aleutian campaign alongside Midway.
- The Battle of Midway beginsOn 3 June 1942 a Catalina sighted Japanese transports heading for Midway. B-17s hit no ship, and Nagumo's carriers were still hidden in the fog.
- 07
- The Japanese on Attu and KiskaOn 6–7 June 1942 the Japanese took Kiska and Attu unopposed. Attu's Aleuts were deported to Japan, and the US removed Aleuts from other islands.
- The end of the Battle of MidwayOn 5–7 June 1942 Yamamoto called off the Midway attack, US planes sank the cruiser Mikuma, and a Japanese submarine finished off Yorktown, which sank on 7 June.
July
August
September
October
November
December
- 15
- The fall of Gona and BunaOn 9 December 1942 the Australians took Gona, and on 14 December the Americans took Buna village. The Japanese fought on at Buna Station and Sanananda.
- The fighting for Mount AustenIn mid-December 1942 the Americans attacked Mount Austen on Guadalcanal. The 132nd Infantry stalled before the Japanese stronghold of the Gifu.