Axis Diplomacy

Subhas Chandra Bose broadcasts from Berlin on India's wish for freedom and consequent readiness to co-operate with Germany. This speech will be repeated on March 11. (see April 26, 1943.)

Battle of the Atlantic

• During the month of February U-boats have sunk 69 ships, mainly tankers, of the American east coast and in the Caribbean.
• The US destroyer Jacob Jones (DD-130) is sunk by torpedoes from U-578 while steaming off Delaware Bay. The blasts caused heavy casualties among the crew and completely wrecked the ship. There are only 11 survivors.
• U-129 sinks the Panamanian steamer Bayou 140 miles north of Paramaribo, Suriname with the loss of 24 of her crew. 1 survivor is rescued and taken to Georgetown.
• The Italian submarine Da Vinci sinks the Latvian steamer Everasma (3644t) in the middle of the Atlantic. 15 of the crew are rescued.
• U-653 sinks the Norwegian steamer Leif (1582t) east of Cape Hatteras with the loss of 15 of her crew. 10 survivors are picked up by the Swedish tanker Sveadrott.
• U-156 sinks the American tanker Oregon (7017t) north of the Dominican Republic with the loss of 6 crewmen. 26 survivors make it to the Dominican Republic in lifeboats, 4 others are picked up by the American tanker Gulfpenn.
• The Swedish steamer Thyra (1796t) sinks on a mine off Yarmouth. All 24 of the crew are rescued.

Battle of the Java Sea

The Japanese heavy cruiser Haguro torpedoes and sinks the Dutch light cruiser De Ruyter while the Japanese heavy cruiser Nachi torpedoes and sinks the Dutch light cruiser Java. Adm Doorman's flagship is the De Ruyter and he is lost with the ship.

The 4 American destroyers that escaped from the Battle of the Java Sea head for the Sunda Strait.

Shortly before midnight while attempting to retire from Java, part of the Allied force encounters the Japanese transport force and their escorts. What results is the naval battle referred to as the Battle of Sunda Strait. Japanese cruisers and destroyers make contact with the Allied force and sink two cruisers, the American Houston and the Australian Perth, and the Dutch destroyer Evertsen.[MORE]

Burma

British troops fall back on Pegu, the prelude to general retirement. The Japanese cut the road north of Rangoon.

Eastern Front

The Stavka orders the 2nd Shock and 54th Armies to link up and encircle the German forces in the Lubansk area.

The Germans launch a fierce counterattack at Demidov, forcing back the 4th Shock Army.

The 51st Army repeats its attacks on the Kerch peninsula, suffering terrible casualties as the 11th Army rains fire down upon it.

During February the Germans commit 8 infantry divisions to the east, bringing their strength up to 19 panzer, 15 motorized and 123 infantry divisions. A casualty return by the Ostheer records that up to the end of February the war in the east has cost 394,000 killed (44,000 in February), 725,000 wounded, 414,000 captured, 46,000 missing and 112,000 injured through frostbite and illnesses. Army Group Center alone has suffered a staggering 357,000 casualties but has received only 130,000 replacements. The field armies have also lost 3,240 tanks and assault guns but have received only 840 replacement vehicles. This leaves the panzer divisions with fewer than 900 vehicles, of which only 465 are operational. Combined with the depletion of its offensive capability, the supply and logistic services have lost 74,000 motor vehicles since October 1941 but replaced only 7,500. The already inadequate motor pool has been reduced to less than a quarter of its June 1941 complement. Since the beginnig of Operation TYPHOON in October, the Ostheer has also lost 180,000 horses but has replaced only 20,000.

To date the German army on the Eastern Front has lost 394,000 killed, 725,000 wounded, 414,000 captured, 46,000 missing and 112,000 injured through illnesses.

Germany, Home Front

Dr Mansfield is appointed Reich Labor Controller with overall responsibility for the exploitation of foreign workers and PoWs in the armaments industry and agriculture.

Germany, Planning

Hitler issues Directive 40 which orders the building of Atlantic coastal defenses to prevent any invasion force from landing.

Indian Ocean

• I-53 sinks the British steamer City of Manchester (8917t) south of Java. 9 are lost of a total of 137 on board. The Dutch steamer Parigi (1172t) is also sunk by I-53 in the same area.
• The Dutch steamer Tomohon (983t) is sunk by Japanese surface craft off Tjilatjap, Java. The entire crew of 30 are rescued.

Java

The Japanese invasion force lands. After their victory at sea Japanese troops from the 16th Army are able to disembark without interference and now the route to the Sunda Islands lies open to them. The main force will head for Batavia, now Djakarta, capital of the Dutch East Indies.

United States, Home Front

The US military announces that Read-Adm Husband E. Kimmel and Lt-Gen Walter C. Short, the commanders in Hawaii on December 7, will each face court-martial for 'dereliction of duty', 'when such time as the public interest and safety would permit.' In the meantime the two are permitted to retire.

Western Front

(27th?) A British parachute assault destroys a German radar station at Bruneval near Le Havre. The force then escapes by sea with captured equipment.