DECEMBER 1942
  • Dec 1 . LtGen Eichelberger ordered to Papau, New Guinea, to take Buna.
  • Dec 2 . Air Transport Command begins flying "the Hump" (Himalayas) to China.
  • Dec 7 . One year since Pearl Harbor.
  • Dec 8 . Allied invasion of north Burma called off for lack of supplies ; Brits and Chinese withdraw.
  • Dec 9 . Marines (Vandergrift) hand over command of Guadalcanal to Army (Patch). The battle for the island has two months to go.
  • Dec 13. Buna, New Guinea, falls to Americans.
  • Dec 14. Gona, New Guinea, falls to Australians. It takes another month to end resistance in Papua campaign and it is August 1944 before all of New Guinea is secured.
  • Dec 17. Marine conquest of Mt. Austen, Guadalcanal. It takes another two months to end resistance on Guadalcanal.
  • Dec 22. 26 B-24s flown 4,300 miles to attack Wake Island.
  • Dec 31. Japanese high command decides to withdraw from Guadalcanal.

    Warship losses in the First Year of the Pacific War.
      U.S.  Allies Japanese
      Battleships 2 1 RN   2
      Battle Cruisers - 1 RN   -
      Fleet Carriers 4 1 RN   4
      Light Carriers - -   2
      Heavy Cruisers  53 RN , 1 Aus    4
      Light Cruisers 2 2 Dutch, 1 Aus     2
      Destroyers 23 8 Dutch, 4 RN   23
      Submarines 7 ? 21
      BattleshipBB
      U.S. Arizona , Oklahoma .  Nevada, California, West Virginia still undergoing repairs from Pearl Harbor attack.
      Allies Prince of Wales , Repulse .
      Japan Hiei , Kirishima .
      CarriersFleet, CV
      U.S. Lexington , Yorktown , Wasp , Hornet .
      Allies HMS Hermes .
      Japan Kaga , Akagi , Hiryu , Soryu .
      CarriersLight, CVL
      U.S. n/a
      Japan Shoho , Ryujo .
      CruisersHeavy, CA
      U.S. Houston , Astoria , Quincy , Vincennes , Northampton .
      Allies RN : Exeter , Dorsetshire , Cornwall ;   RAN : Canberra
      Japan Mikuma , Kako , Furutaka , Kinugasa .
      CruisersLight, CL
      U.S. Atlanta , Juneau .
      Allies Dutch : De Ruyter , Java ;   RAN : Perth ,
      Japan Yura , Tenryu .
      DestroyersDD
      U.S.

      		 Cassin, Downs ; Barton , Benham , Blue , Cushing , Duncan , Edsall , Hammann , Jarvis , Laffey , Meredith , Monssen , O'Brian , Peary , Pillsbury , Pope , Porter , Preston , Sims , Stewart , Tucker , Walke .
      Allies

      		Dutch : Van Ghent , Eversten , Kortenaer , Piet Hein , Van Nes , Banckert , De Ruyter , Witte De With .
      RN :  Electra , Jupiter , Encounter, Stronghold .
      Japan


      		Hayate, Kisaragi, Shinonome, Sagiri , Sukukaze, Natsushio, Kikuzuki, Yamakaze, Nenohi, Arare, Mutsuki, Asagiri, Yayoi, Fabuki, Natsugumo, Murakumo, Oboro, Akatsuki, Yadachi, Ayanami, Hayashio, Takanami, Terutsuki.
      SubmarinesSS
      U.S. S-27, S-36 , S-39 , Sealion , Perch , Shark , Grunion.
      AlliesDutch : K XI , others?
      Japan

      		I-70 , RO-66 , RO-60 , I-60 , I-124 , I-73 , I-23 , RO-30 , I-28 , I-164 , I-123 , RO-33 , RO-35 , RO-61 , RO-65 , I-30 , I-172 , I-22 , I-3 , I-15 , I-4 .

    From a naval perspective, both sides retire to rebuild after disastrous loses - there were no major fleet engagements for 18 months. The US builds more and overwhelms the Japanese Navy in fleet actions in June and October of 1944.
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