APRIL 1942.
Apr 1 . Japanese land on Buka and Santa Isabel, Solomons.
Apr 1 . Seawolf (SS-197) torpedoes/damages light cruiser Naka, flag of invasion of Christmas Island.
Apr 2 . Japanese begin an all-out offensive on the Bataan Peninsula.
Apr 3 . Japanese bombers attack Mandalay, Burma, killing 2,000.
Apr 4 . Hornet leaves San Francisco with Doolittle and 16 Army B-25 bombers.
Apr 5 . Jap fleet w/5 carriers attack Ceylon base; 2 British heavy cruisers sunk.
Apr 5 . Imperial Japanese Navy battle plan for Midway accepted.
Apr 6 . Rommel breaks through Commonwealth defense lines in Cyrenaica.
Apr 6 . Japanese Malaya fleet sinks 23 merchantmen off Eastern India.
Apr 6 . Advance elements of the U.S. Army 41st Division reach Melbourne, Australia.
Apr 7 . Japanese subs off western India sink 5 merchantmen this week.
Apr 7 . Colorado is only western state to agree to accept voluntary relocation of enemy aliens.
Apr 7 . Relocation begins of Japanese from coastal defense zones to 17 assembly centers.
Apr 8 . Japanese force from Rabaul lands in Western New Britain.
Apr 8 . Enterprise departs Pearl to rendezvous with Hornet for Tokyo raid.
Apr 8 . Submarine Seadragon (SS-194) delivers food to Corregidor; evacuates naval radio intelligence people.
Apr 9 . US troops surrender on Bataan peninsula, 70,000 US and Philippean men. Over 10% die in Death March
Apr 9 . British warships sunk off Ceylon : Hermes CV, 2 CA, Vampire DD, 2 others.
Apr 10. Bataan Death March, one meal of rice in six days, nearly 10,000 die in brutal march.
Apr 10. Japanese start to take southern Philippines, Cebu.
Apr 11. Production of cyanogen choloride (poison gas) begins at Warners, NY.
Apr 12. Victorious Japanese carrier fleet starts return to home waters having lost no surface warships in war to date.
Apr 12. Japan kills about 400 Filipino officers in Bataan.
Apr 13. Lexington (TF 11, RAdm Fitch) leaves Pearl to join Yorktown (TF 17, Fletcher) for raid on Rabaul.
Apr 14. Adm Nimitz assigned to South Pacific. Sends Yorktown (CV-5, RAdm Fletcher) to Tongatabu, south of Samoa, to replenish for anticipated defense of New Guinea and Solomon Islands at the end of the month.
Apr 15. Rommel advance is overextended, stops at Egyptian border.
Apr 16. Japanese land on Panay and Negros, Philippine Islands.
Apr 17. Japanese army takes central Burma.
Apr 17. Submarine Searaven (SS-196) begins rescue of stranded Australian servicemen from occupied Timor.
Apr 18. Doolittle Raid on Tokyo with 16 Army B-25 bombers from Hornet, escorted by Enterprise.
Apr 18. Lexington (CV-2, TF 11, RAdm Fitch), ferries USMC F2A Buffalos to Palmyra Island.
Apr 19. Japanese land in Dutch New Guinea.
Apr 19. Two tests of drones, the one with TV camera strikes target
Apr 20. Lexington arrives S Pacific.
Apr 20. Wasp (CV-7) ferries 47 RAF Spitfires to embattled British island of Malta in Mediterranean.
Apr 20. End of the battle for Moscow, first German failure.
Apr 21. Entire Japanese fleet searches for the Doolittle carriers.
Apr 22. Lexington joins Yorktown at Tongutabu to prepare for expected battle.
Apr 23. Code breakers harvest intel from massive Japanese pursuit of Doolittle carriers.
Apr 24. Japanese fleet elements start to return to refuel.
Apr 25. Allied army forces begin retreat from Burma.
Apr 25. Enterprise and Hornet arrive Pearl from Doolittle's Tokyo raid.
Apr 26. Nimitz flies San Francisco. to brief Adm King on South Pacific plan.
Apr 26. British Eastern Fleet begins retreat to Africa.
Apr 27. Yorktown departs for Coral Sea.
Apr 27. Seven battleships remain based on West Coast to conserve fuel.
Apr 27. Japanese aliens to Tanforan racetrack, assembly center of 170 barracks built on infield.
Apr 28. Coast watchers report Japanese flying-boat base established in upper Solomons.
Apr 28. VAdm Ghormley arrives from Europe to take command of South Pacific.
Apr 29. Japanese land on Mindanao, southern Philippine Islands
Apr 29. Japanese naval landing force occupies former RAAF seaplane base at Tulagi, Solomons
Apr 30. PBYs evacuate military and civilian personnel from Corregidor.
Apr 30. Japanese cut China Road by capture of Lasio, Burma.
Apr 30. Zuikaku and Shokaku sortie Truk to support Port Moresby invasion leading to the Battle of Coral Sea.
Apr 30. Enterprise and Hornet speed towards Coral Sea; too far to reach in time.
April. German U-boats continue "happy time" off U.S. Atlantic Coast.   We are still losing the War < March   |   Chronology   |   May >

APRIL 1942.
Apr 1 . Japanese land on Buka and Santa Isabel, Solomons.
Apr 1 . Seawolf (SS-197) torpedoes/damages light cruiser Naka, flag of invasion of Christmas Island.
Apr 2 . Japanese begin an all-out offensive on the Bataan Peninsula.
Apr 3 . Japanese bombers attack Mandalay, Burma, killing 2,000.
Apr 4 . Hornet leaves San Francisco with Doolittle and 16 Army B-25 bombers.
Apr 5 . Jap fleet w/5 carriers attack Ceylon base; 2 British heavy cruisers sunk.
Apr 5 . Imperial Japanese Navy battle plan for Midway accepted.
Apr 6 . Rommel breaks through Commonwealth defense lines in Cyrenaica.
Apr 6 . Japanese Malaya fleet sinks 23 merchantmen off Eastern India.
Apr 6 . Advance elements of the U.S. Army 41st Division reach Melbourne, Australia.
Apr 7 . Japanese subs off western India sink 5 merchantmen this week.
Apr 7 . Colorado is only western state to agree to accept voluntary relocation of enemy aliens.
Apr 7 . Relocation begins of Japanese from coastal defense zones to 17 assembly centers.
Apr 8 . Japanese force from Rabaul lands in Western New Britain.
Apr 8 . Enterprise departs Pearl to rendezvous with Hornet for Tokyo raid.
Apr 8 . Submarine Seadragon (SS-194) delivers food to Corregidor; evacuates naval radio intelligence people.
Apr 9 . US troops surrender on Bataan peninsula, 70,000 US and Philippean men. Over 10% die in Death March
Apr 9 . British warships sunk off Ceylon : Hermes CV, 2 CA, Vampire DD, 2 others.
Apr 10. Bataan Death March, one meal of rice in six days, nearly 10,000 die in brutal march.
Apr 10. Japanese start to take southern Philippines, Cebu.
Apr 11. Production of cyanogen choloride (poison gas) begins at Warners, NY.
Apr 12. Victorious Japanese carrier fleet starts return to home waters having lost no surface warships in war to date.
Apr 12. Japan kills about 400 Filipino officers in Bataan.
Apr 13. Lexington (TF 11, RAdm Fitch) leaves Pearl to join Yorktown (TF 17, Fletcher) for raid on Rabaul.
Apr 14. Adm Nimitz assigned to South Pacific. Sends Yorktown (CV-5, RAdm Fletcher) to Tongatabu, south of Samoa, to replenish for anticipated defense of New Guinea and Solomon Islands at the end of the month.
Apr 15. Rommel advance is overextended, stops at Egyptian border.
Apr 16. Japanese land on Panay and Negros, Philippine Islands.
Apr 17. Japanese army takes central Burma.
Apr 17. Submarine Searaven (SS-196) begins rescue of stranded Australian servicemen from occupied Timor.
Apr 18. Doolittle Raid on Tokyo with 16 Army B-25 bombers from Hornet, escorted by Enterprise.
Apr 18. Lexington (CV-2, TF 11, RAdm Fitch), ferries USMC F2A Buffalos to Palmyra Island.
Apr 19. Japanese land in Dutch New Guinea.
Apr 19. Two tests of drones, the one with TV camera strikes target
Apr 20. Lexington arrives S Pacific.
Apr 20. Wasp (CV-7) ferries 47 RAF Spitfires to embattled British island of Malta in Mediterranean.
Apr 20. End of the battle for Moscow, first German failure.
Apr 21. Entire Japanese fleet searches for the Doolittle carriers.
Apr 22. Lexington joins Yorktown at Tongutabu to prepare for expected battle.
Apr 23. Code breakers harvest intel from massive Japanese pursuit of Doolittle carriers.
Apr 24. Japanese fleet elements start to return to refuel.
Apr 25. Allied army forces begin retreat from Burma.
Apr 25. Enterprise and Hornet arrive Pearl from Doolittle's Tokyo raid.
Apr 26. Nimitz flies San Francisco. to brief Adm King on South Pacific plan.
Apr 26. British Eastern Fleet begins retreat to Africa.
Apr 27. Yorktown departs for Coral Sea.
Apr 27. Seven battleships remain based on West Coast to conserve fuel.
Apr 27. Japanese aliens to Tanforan racetrack, assembly center of 170 barracks built on infield.
Apr 28. Coast watchers report Japanese flying-boat base established in upper Solomons.
Apr 28. VAdm Ghormley arrives from Europe to take command of South Pacific.
Apr 29. Japanese land on Mindanao, southern Philippine Islands
Apr 29. Japanese naval landing force occupies former RAAF seaplane base at Tulagi, Solomons
Apr 30. PBYs evacuate military and civilian personnel from Corregidor.
Apr 30. Japanese cut China Road by capture of Lasio, Burma.
Apr 30. Zuikaku and Shokaku sortie Truk to support Port Moresby invasion leading to the Battle of Coral Sea.
Apr 30. Enterprise and Hornet speed towards Coral Sea; too far to reach in time.
April. German U-boats continue "happy time" off U.S. Atlantic Coast.   We are still losing the War < March   |   Chronology   |   May >