December Disaster - Pacific 1941


"US Strategic Pacific Sites"
from ILN 1941/03/01
After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Combined Fleet Order No. 1 continued:

front page map in Minneapolis Morning Tribune 1941/12/08
  1. Invasion of Malaya
    • started at 7:30 am on Dec. 7, 25 minutes before 1st wave at PH at 7:55
  2. attack on Hong Kong - 6 hrs. after PH
    • fell Dec. 25 after siege
  3. air attack on Philippines - Iba (all 16 P40s destroyed) and Clark Field
    • 7.5 hrs. after PH
    • by 108 Japan bombers and 84 Zeros vs 107 P-40s and 35 B-17s
    • most U.S. planes on ground
    • MacArthur had denied request by Gen. L. Brereton to bomb Formosa
    • only 17 B17s and 22 P40s left
    • "a second Pearl Harbor"
  4. air attack on British battleship "Prince of Wales" and heavy cruiser "Repulse"
    • sunk by 90 Japan planes Dec. 8
  5. air attack on Wake Island Dec. 8
    • fell Dec. 23 after defense by 450 Marines
    • Major James Devereux & 4 Wildcat fighters
    • Kimmel ordered USS Saratoga to Wake, but stopped 8 hours away
    • carrier changed its objective to Midway after Japan began landings on Wake Dec. 23
    • Midway shelled by the Sara but no landings
  6. Guam surrendered Dec. 11
    • 1st US possession to be occupied
    • opened way for fall of Rabaul
    • Tarawa on Dec. 9 and Makin Dec. 10 in Gilberts
  7. Borneo landings begin Dec. 15 - fell Dec. 30
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