Air Operations, Pacific

• 9 B-17s of the FEAF’s 19th Heavy Bomb Group based at Darwin/Batechlor Field, Australia, attack Japanese ships off Davao, Mindanao, and subsequently land at Mindanao/Del Monte Field. During the night, 4 of the B-17s attack Japanese transports in Lingayen Gulf. Following the attack, they are unable to land on Mindanao, so they withdraw toward Australia. One lands on Mindoro Island and the other three land at a Dutch base on Amboina Island in the East Indies. All 4 then proceed to Darwin/Batchelor Field.
• 33 Japanese carrier bombers escorted by 6 A6M 'Zeros' attack Wake Island. A VMF-211 F4F pilot downs 2 of the 'Zeros', but one of the two remaining F4Fs is shot down. The last F4F crashes upon landing and becomes unserviceable.

Allied Planning

The British and American leaders begin the Arcadia Conference in Washington. These meetings will last about 2 and a half weeks. There are long discussions between Churchill and Roosevelt, their Chiefs of Staff and other political leaders from both countries. The two main conclusions of the conference are to confirm the policy of beating Germany first agreed to early in 1941 and to establish the Combined Chiefs of Staff as the directing body for the whole Allied military effort. The idea for the Combined Chiefs of Staff is Gen Marshall's and arises from his belief that a Supreme Commander should be appointed to control the operations against the Japanese in the East Indies and Malaysia.

Arcadia Conference

The combined command in the Far East will be called the ABDA (Australian, British, Dutch, American) command. Wavell will be selected for this task (see January 3, 1942) and it is decided that he should be responsible to a combined Allied authority. The Combined Chiefs of Staff will meet in Washington. The American Chiefs will participate personally and Gen Dill will lead the British Military Mission.

A general strategic program is also agreed upon. This provides for a US buildup in Britain in preparation for future land operations against Germany. The bomber offensive will continue. It is accepted that there will be further losses in the Pacific but these are to be held to a minimum by stout defense. The British come to the conference rather better prepared than the Americans, not unnaturally since they have been fighting longer. The American military delegation is also a little unbalanced since Adm King has only just taken over at the head of the US Navy.

The US military leaders will feel afterward that they have been unfairly dominated and will also worry about Churchill's personal influence on Roosevelt.

Australia

The first American troops arrive under the command of Brig-Gen Julian F. Barnes.

Battle of the Atlantic

The Greek steamer Stylianos Chandris (6059t) sinks on a mine a few miles off the Humber. The entire crew are rescued.

Burma

Chiang Kai-shek offers 2 Chinese armies to help the British in their defense of Burma. Wavell accepts a division with a regiment to be held in reserve.

Eastern Front

Russian pressure continues on all fronts. A Russian report says that the Red Army has recaptured 1,500 cities, town and villages in the past 25 days.

The Kalinin Front prepares to launch a new offensive with the 22nd, 39th, 29th, 31st and 30th Armies, the aim being to destroy the German forces around Rzhev. The front deploys 30 rifle and 5 cavalry divisions and 2 tank brigades.

Mediterranean

• The German steamer Tinos (2826t) is sunk by British bombing at Benghazi.
• The German steamer Spezia (1825t) and the Italian steamer Umbra Cadamosto (1010t) sink on Italian mines about 14 miles from Misurata, Libya.

Occupied Europe

More than 32,000 Jews have been murdered by German Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units) execution squads in Vilna, Lithuania. It is reported by Einsatzgruppen A that a total of 229,052 Jews have been killed in the Baltic states during the first six months of the German occupation.

Philippines

At 1:00a.m. the Japanese land at Bauang, Aringay and Agoo 40 miles farther north than MacArthur expected them and at which he had the bulk of his available artillery. By 11:00a.m. the Japanese have firmly established a bridgehead and have made contact with the troops that landed at Aparri and Gonzaga earlier in the month.

Japanese tanks and soldiers moving towards Manila, 22 December 1941

Japanese Moving Toward Manila

Fighting in Luzon

Damage in Luzon

After the failure of their initial attempt to gain control of the Philippines, the Japanese, on December 22, landed a force of about 100,000 men, together with tanks, in the Lingayen Gulf area of Luzon. Landings were also made on Mindanao, the second largest island of the group, where fighting took place in the Davao area. On this day, too, the small garrison of 400 Marines at Wake Island, the U.S. naval base, 3,000 miles to the north-east, surrendered after an heroic defense lasting fourteen days. The pictures above show ruins of San Pablo, near Manila, after a severe raid on Christmas Day.

South China Sea

The American submarine S-38 sinks the Japanese transport Hayo Maru (5445t) in the Lingayen Gulf.

Wake Island

The Japanese return to the attack with stronger forces. Wake has been bombarded from the air since the first successful defense with planes from the carriers Hiryu and Soryu joining in on the 21st and 22nd. The Japanese naval force also includes 2 heavy cruisers and a destroyer escort all under the command of Rear-Adm Sadamichi Kajioka. Just before midnight 2 destroyers converted into swift troop transports are able to land some 200 men on the island.