Air Operations, CBI

1st and 2nd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s down 4 Japanese Army bombers and 8 fighters over Rangoon between 0945 and 1030 hours.

Air Operations, Pacific

During the night the RAAF bomb Rabaul. Dutch bombers and American B-17s attack the shipping at Balikpapan.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-66 sinks the British tanker Empire Gem (8139t) and the American steamer Venore (8017t) off Cape Hatteras. 49 are lost on the tanker, 2 are picked up by an Amercian coast guard vessel. 17 are lost on the American ship, 24 survivors are picked up by the British steamer Tennessee and the American tanker Australia.
• U-106 sinks the British steamer Empire Wildebeeste (5631t) east of New York with the loss of 9 crewmen. 22 survivors are picked up by the American destroyer Lang.
• U-333 sinks the Norwegian steamer Ringstad (4765t) 85 miles southeast of Cape Race with the loss of 30 of her crew. 13 survivors are rescued by the American destroyer Swanson.

Burma

The Japanese approach the town of Moulmein.

Diplomatic Relations

Peru severs diplomatic relations with Germany, Italy and Japan.

Dutch East Indies

Japanese units consolidate their coastal gains with more amphibious advances. The Western Force moves down to Kuching in southern Sarawak. Meanwhile, the Central Force and the Eastern Force also make advaces through their respective territories so that in a week's time the Allied forces in the Dutch East Indies will be coastally encircled.

Eastern Front

In the southern esctor, on the Donetz front, the Russians break through the German defenses near Izyum and take Barvenkove(o), about 40 miles east of Lozovaya, south of Kharkov. In the center, near Valdai height, the Russians extend the salient between Kholm and Rzhev, coming close to Velikiye Luki, where the German position is particularly strong.

Berlin admits the Russians have penetrated the German defenses at two points in the Ukraine.

Three Soviet armies attack on the Volkhov: the 2nd Shock, 52nd and 59th. Of these, only the 2nd Shock manages to break through the German lines. Fighting ontinues at Cholm as the 3rd Shock Army continues to attack the German defenders.

The German 9th Army is attacking the isolated Soviet 29th and 39th Armies, with few results. The reconstituted Soviet 16th Army is ordered to strike the southern flank of the German 4th Army and advance northwest to link up with the Kalinin Front near Smolensk.

The Soviet 9th Army recaptures Barvenkovo. To reinforce this success the Stavka reinforces the Southern Front with more than 300 tanks.[MORE]

East Indies

In the Battle of Makassar Strait Dutch Martin bombers, the submarine K-XVIII and 4 American destroyers attack the Japanese transports off Balikpapan, Borneo sinking 5(4?) ships. K-XVIII is damaged. There are Japanese landings at Kendari in the Celebes where an important airfield is captured.

Malaya

There is hard fighting at Batu Pahat, the last defensive position near the Muar River, until it is abandoned by the Allied forces. The Japanese also threaten the town of Kluang. Wavell has authorized Percival to retreat to Singapore. Plans are then made to withdraw all British forces to the island of Singapore. About 3,000 Australians, still not fully trained, arrive in Singapore as reinforcements.

New Guinea

Allies troops evacuate Lae, the capital, and Salamaua, is directly threatened by the Japanese.

North Africa

The British 2nd Armored Brigade is largely destroyed in fighting around Msus as the German advance continues. Maj-Gen Frank Messervy pulls his troops farther north toward Msus while Rommel hunts for them in vain south of Antelat. The British XIII Corps prepares to counterattack. If it proves impossible to stop the enemy, the British will withdraw to a line running from Derna to El Mechili.

XIII Corps commander Lt-Gen Reade Godwin-Austen is alarmed for the safety of Messervy's weakened 1st Armored Div which is feared to be unable to hold Msus and the 7th Indian Brigade which might easily be outflanked at Benghazi. He asks 8th Army Colmander Neil Ritchie for permission to withdraw eastward to Mechili if this proves necessary. Ritchie instructs him to cover Benghazi and Msus if possible, but gives him discretion to retire if need be. Ritchie also orders Lt-Gen Willoughby Norrie's XXX Corps up from the frontier to prepare a reserve defensive line south from Gazala to protect Tobruk.

The Axis air force tries to help but Hurricanes of 224 Squadron intercept a Stuka raid, destroy 4 dive-bombers plus 3 escorting fighters for the loss of only 1 of their number which crash lands.

Pacific

• The British steamer Tai Sang (3555t) sinks on a mine in a Dutch mine field southwest of Singapore with the loss of 33 on board. 2 survivors are made prisoners of war.
• The US submarine Swordfish (SS-193) sinks the Japanese gunboat Myoken Maru (570t) north of Kema, Celebes.

Philippines

On Luzon in the Bataan peninsula the American II Corps, defending in the east, retires rapidly southwards. In the western sector the situation is no better. Troops of the I Corps temporarily succeed in driving back the Japanese troops landed ad Point Longoskawayan, which is south of the whole American line.

Japanese Tanks and Infantry Advance through Bataan Jungle

While British forces were retreating down the Malay peninsula, US forces were retreating down the Bataan peninsula on the Philippine island of Luzon. The defenders were already on half rations by mid January and debilitated by the jungle conditions but they were putting up a fierce defence against superior numbers, without the weapons to match the Japanese artillery and tanks. It was another fighting withdrawal against an enemy that were prepared to throw wave after wave of their troops into suicidal ‘Banzai’ attacks. There was no peace even when an orderly withdrawal was possible, the Japanese were constantly pressing down on them, even at night.

Samoa

A protective force of US Marines occupies Samoa.

Strait of Makassar

The first big naval battle since the beginning of operations in the Pacific theater takes place off Balikpapan, between Borneo and the Celebes. 16 Japanese naval transports and their escort of 1 light cruiser and 9 destroyers, en route to the oil center of Balikpapan, Borneo, are attacked by an American destroyer division under the command of Cdr P. H. Talbot. The ships in the attack are the Parrot (DD-218), Pope (DD-225), John D. Ford (DD-228) and Paul Jones (DD-230) along with a group of submarines. 4 of the Japanese transports are sunk with heavy casualties: Tsuruga Maru (7289t) by John D. Ford; Sumanoura Maru (3519t) by Parrott; Kuretaki Maru (5050t) by Paul Jones; and Tatsukami Maru (6641t) by Paul Jones and Pope. Parrott also sinks an escort vessel, Patrol Boat No. 37. The John D. Ford is damaged by naval gunfire. It is the first major naval engagement of the Pacific War. The action delays the invasion of Java for a few days, but not the occupation of the oil port of Balikpapan, which is captured on the same day.

United States, Command

A special court of inquiry, headed by Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, submits its report on the Pearl Harbor attack. The blame is placed on Rear-Adm Husband E. Kimmel and Lt-Gen Walter C. Short, the navy and army commanders, for neglecting to heed warnings of an imminent attack, for not consulting each other on necessary precautions and for taking only minimum and inadequate defense measures.