Borneo

Early in the day there are Japanese landings at Miri and Lutong in Serawak and at Seria in Brunei. The oil plants are set on fire before the small British and Dutch forces retreat. The Japanese force is from 16th Inf Div and they have considerable naval support.

In the Gulf of Siam 4 transports are torpedoed by the Dutch submarine O-16.

Burma

The Allied air base at Victoria Point falls to the Japanese. This cuts off aerial resupply to British forces in the area. It also enables Japanese fighter aircraft to escort bombers on raids into southern Burma especially against the capital of Rangoon.

A soldier of the 46th Infantry Regiment, 12th Division, rushing down the wooded mountainside to attack the Rangoon Rifles on the flank, 16 December 1941.

Japanese Attack in Burma

Eastern Front

After a week of intensive fighting the Russians defeat the German 9th Army and take Kalinin. The Russian advance in the Ukraine comes within 30 miles of Orel.

The 9th Army is unable to hold its positions on the Volga and gives up Kalinin. The 31st and 29th Armies force the Germans to the Volga between Lake Selinger and Kalinin, threatening to expose the northern flank of Army Group Center, Soviet forces claim to have inflicted 10,000 casualties on the Germans at Kalinin.

The West Front transfers the 30th Army to the Kalinin Front, to bring greater pressure to bear upon the rear of the 9th Army. The 39th Army is allocated to the Kalinin Front from the High Command reserve.

Group Chanchibadze is 10 miles northeast of Volokolamsk, while Group Remizov, now under 20th Army directin, is 9 miles west of the Istra reservoir. Katukov is nearly 15 miles west of Istra. These units are forcing the XLVI Panzer Corps back to the west. To the south, Dedilovo falls to Group Belov and Bogoroditsk to the 10th Army.

Japan, Home Front

Tojo warns the Japanese people that the war could be a long one.

Malaya

There is a second wave of Japanese landings. Over the next few days the 5th and 18th Divs will be brought up to full strength and the Imperial Guards Div will begin to arrive. The British forces withdraw from Penang on the west coast.

Japanese Troops Land in the Philippines, 16 December 1941.

Mediterranean

U-557 sinks after a collision with Italian torpedo boat Orione off Salamis. The entire crew of 43 are lost.

North Africa

The 3rd South African Brigade attacks Bardia after heavy bombing raids, but the attack fails with heavy losses.

During the night Rommel begins his withdrawal from the Tobruk sector. His retirement will be all the way back to El Agheila. The 8th Army attempts to pursue but its lines of communication are very long and there is considerable delay in bringing supplies forward. During the previous week's fighting the Axis forces have lost about 38,000 dead(total casualties?) to the British loss of 18,000. They have also lost more tanks in the same time period, 300 to 278.

Damaged Panzer IIIs at Belhamed, 16 December 1941

Pacific

• A Japanese submarine shells Johnston Island.
• US submarine Swordfish attacks a Japanese convoy south of Hainan Island. She torpedoes the army transport Atsutasan Maru (8663t) and gets a hit in the engine room. 3 crewmen and 25 soldiers are killed in the attack. The ship is abandoned and sinks 2 days later.