FEBRUARY 1942.
Feb 1 . Enterprise (CV-6, TF 8, VAdm Halsey) and Yorktown (CV-5, TF 17. RAdm Fletcher)
raid the Marshall and Gilbert Islands; Lexington (CV-2,TF 11, VAdm Brown) supports the operations
from the vicinity of Christmas Island.
Feb 1 . PT boats and P-40's repulse Japanese landing attempt on southwest Bataan.
Feb 3 . Japanese naval land attack planes bomb ABDA operating base at Surabay, Java.
Feb 4 . Japanese naval land attack planes bomb ABDA ships, damaging Houston (CA-30) and light cruiser Marblehead (CL-12), largest American warships in western Pacific.
Feb 5 . Japanese planes bomb Allied shipping off Soembawa Island, N.E.I.
Feb 5 . Hammondsport(AVP-2) delivers 120 P-40 fighters to Brisbane.
Feb 5 . Enterprise returns Pearl.
Feb 6 . Japanese artillery on Cavite coast shell Corregidor.
Feb 6 . Yorktown returns Pearl.
Feb 7 . Reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters Sydney, Australia.
Feb 8 . Japanese submarine I-69 shells Midway.
Feb 8 . Japanese troops land on New Britain.
Feb 8 . Japanese infiltration force at Quinauan Point, Bataan, is destroyed.
Feb 9 . Japanese troops land on Singapore Island.
Feb 9 . Lexington heads to South Pacific.
Feb 9 . Lafayette (AP-53) (ex-French liner Normandie) burns at New York and capsizes.
Feb 9 . Daylight saving time imposed in the US calling it "war time".
Feb 10. General Instructions for Refueling, tech bulletin 2-42.
Feb 10. Civilian car production halted.
Feb 11. First large troop convoy to garrison S. Pacific Islands.
Feb 11. Alaska-Canada (Alcan) highway receives approval, Dawson Creek to Fairbanks. Highway to Tokyo.
Feb 11-13. Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen make dash up the English Channel from Brest to Norway. Scharnhorst damaged.
Feb 12. Survey vessel Sumner (AG 32) completes survey work of Bora Bora, Society Islands.
Feb 13. Passenger ship President Taylor, transporting 900 troops to occupy Canton Island, runs aground.
Feb 13. Hitler cancels invasion of England -- Battle of Britain is won by RAF.
Feb 14. Japanese army paratroopers assault Sumatra.
Feb 14. ABDAFloat orders task force (4 cruisers, 11 destroyers) to attack Japanese Palembang expeditionary force. Van Ghent lost ; troops land.
Feb 14. Enterprise (Halsey) leaves Pearl Harbor for Wake Island.
Feb 14. Alcan Highway construction, Dawson to Fairbanks, 1,700 miles, completed October 28, 1942.
Feb 15. Singapore surrenders to the Japanese.
Feb 15. Japanese army paratroops secure vital oil refineries at Palembang, Sumatra, N.E.I.
Feb 15. Japanese land and naval aircraft attack ABDA forces damaging two US destroyers.
Feb 15. Yorktown (Fletcher) leave Pearl Harbor to patrol South Pacific.
Feb 16. Operation NEULAND begins; simultaneous U-boat attacks on Dutch and Venezuelan oil ports.
Feb 16. Japanese planes bomb U.S. Timor-bound convoy ; convoy recalled.
Feb 16. Lexington TF 11 (VAdm Brown) heads for an attack on Rabaul, New Britain.
Feb 16. Navy blind landing system is in daily use in Iceland for landing flying boats.
Feb 16. Banka Island Massacre in which Japanese assassinate wounded and 21 Australian nurses.
Feb 17. First Seabees (Naval Construction Battalion) arrive at Bora Bora, Society Islands.
Feb 17. Athwartships hangar deck catapults to be removed from Wasp, Yorktown, Enterprise, and Hornet.
Feb 18. Convoy of 20 troopships departs Liverpool for Indian Ocean excorted by 2 carriers, BB, and escorts.
Feb 19. Japanese forces land on Bali, N.E.I.
Feb 19. Battle of Badoeng Strait begins; ABDA force attacks retiring Japanese Bali occupation force
with 1 Dutch DD sunk, 2 CL and 1 DD damaged.
Feb 19. Japanese carrier striking force, pursuing ex-Timor convoy, attacks Darwin, Australia.
Feb 19. Exclusion order signed to relocate enemy aliens from War Zone.
Feb 20. Lexington attacked while attempting to raid Rabaul. Lt O'Hare shoots down five bombers in six minutes.
Feb 20. Japanese invade Timor Island, N.E.I.
Feb 20. Philippine government evacuated by submarine Swordfish (SS-193).
Feb 21. Seaplane tender Curtiss arrives Noumea, New Caledonia, to begin a principal Navy base in the South Pacific.
Feb 21. Adm King presents plan for SoPac campaign followed for next 18 months.
Feb 22. Three US ships sunk along coast by U-boats.
Feb 22. Gen. Douglas MacArthur orderd to Australia. US to defend Australia to allow troops to stay in N.Africa.
Feb 23. Japanese submarine I-17 shells oil refinery at Ellwood, California.
Feb 24. Enterprise raids Wake Island.
Feb 24. Seaplane from Japanese submarine I-9 reconnoiters Pearl Harbor.
Feb 24. Yorktown heads to New Hebrides to meet Lexington for another Rabaul raid.
Feb 24. 600,000 undocumented Italians are deemed "enemy aliens".
Feb 25. Japanese force lands north of Surabaya, Java.
Feb 25. Jap carriers depart Kendari for sweeps between Java and Australia.
Feb 26. Seaplane from I-25 reconnoiters Melbourne, Australia. Two US ships sunk off Delaware and N.C.
Feb 26, Navy Hudson flying from Newfoundland, sent the message: "Sighted sub sank same." Actually the U-boat escaped.
Feb 27. Battle of Java Sea
Feb 27. Seaplane tender Langley (AV-3), carrying 32 P-40's for Java,
is sunk by Japanese naval land attack planes.
Feb 28. U-578 torpedoes and sinks destroyer Jacob Jones (DD-130) off Delaware.
Feb 28.am. Battle of Java Sea concludes, Allied fleet flees.
Feb 28.pm. Battle of Sunda Strait, last of Allied fleet destroyed, 5 CL 6 DD.
< Jan | Chronology | March >