4 December 1941

UNITED KINGDOM: Parliament passes a new national Service Bill. It includes compulsory direction and conscription for female labour. Unmarried women are to be called up to serve in the police, fire services and armed services under rules announced by the prime minister. Those affected are aged between 20 and 30. Married as well as single women up to the age of 40 are to register as available labour which might be directed to industry.

Mr Churchill describes the new arrangement as "another instalment of toil and sweat". The age of call-up for men is down to 18 years and six months, while those aged between 41 and 50 are also liable for armed service. Boys and girls aged 16 must register their names as a first step toward uniform, and boys aged 16 are being encouraged to join the Home Guard as cadets. As Mr. Churchill sees it: "We must be careful that our boys do not run loose."

Single women with illegitimate or adopted children, and other special hardship cases, are exempt. Female conscientious objectors can claim exemption even though women do not serve in most combat units. Among men, lay preachers and farm workers are among those whose "reserve occupations" keeps them out of uniform. Yet the potential pool of labour resulting from the new rules will contain nearly 1.7 million single women and 70,000 youths.

Destroyer HMS Nepal launched

ASW trawler HMS Dunkery launched.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Sir Lancelot launched.

Submarine HMS Truculent laid down.

U-599 commissioned

U-336 launched.

U.S.S.R.: The Finns take Hango, and German Army Group Centre presses hard on the Moscow Front.

Moscow: Poland's exiled premier, General Wladyslaw Sikorski, signs a mutual assistance pact with Stalin.

CHINA: Two units of the Japanese Navy's Malaya Invasion Group (Vice Admiral OSAWA) of the Southern Force, sail from Samah Bay, Hainan Island, China. The two units are (1) the Escort Unit (Rear Admiral KURITA) consisting of the heavy cruisers HIJMS Kumano, Mikuma, Mogami and Suzuya and three destroyers; and (2) the Kota Bharu Cover Unit (Vice Admiral Ozawa) consisting of the heavy cruiser HIJMS Chokai and a destroyer. Both units were east of Kota Bharu, Malaya, on 8 December.

Two units of the Japanese Navy's Distant Cover Group (Vice Admiral KONDO) of the Southern Force, sail from Mako, Pescadores Islands today. (The Pescadores Islands are located in the Formosa Strait between Formosa and mainland China.) The Main Unit (Vice Admiral KONDO) consists of the battleships HIJMS Haruna and Kongo, the heavy cruisers HIJMS Atago and Takao and ten destroyers. The Supply Unit consists of five oilers, a patrol craft tender and a transport.

HONG KONG: USN river gunboat USS Mindanao (PR-8) sails from Hong Kong, British Crown Colony, for Manila, Philippine Islands. She is the last USN ship to depart Chinese waters prior to war. The Luzon Stevedoring Company tug Ranger follows subsequently, carrying spare parts and 800 3-inch (76 mm) shells for Mindanao's main battery (previously stored ashore at Hong Kong). Only two U.S. naval vessels remain in Chinese waters: river gunboat USS Wake (PR-3) at Shanghai to maintain communications until a radio station is established at the Consulate General with Navy equipment, and river gunboat USS Tutuila (PR-4) at Chungking, where she furnishes essential services to the U.S. Embassy.

BONIN ISLANDS: The Japanese Navy's Guam Invasion Group, South Seas Force, departs Haha Jima at 0900 hours. This force consists of nine transports, four each heavy cruisers, destroyers and submarine chasers, three gunboats, two each coastal minesweepers and netlayers, and one each minelayer, oiler and seaplane tender. These ships arrive off Guam at 0100 hours on 8 December.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: MacArthur "> MacArthur orders Brereton to initiate air patrols to north of Luzon and to disperse aircraft. Brereton uses fighters for this mission. Patrols continue to December 8, 1941.
Patrols spotted a formation of between nine and 27 bombers over Luzon after dark.
21^st Pursuit Squadron at Nichols receives 24 P-40E’s, turns its 17 P-35A’s over to the 34^th at Del Carmen.
Del Monte Field sufficiently developed to be used by B-17's.
(Marc Small)

following message is sent from the U.S. Army Forces Far East to the Army's Adjutant General in Washington, D.C.: "Replying your radio of November twenty eight and your radio six four seven on same subject all practical steps within the limits of the facilities of this command are being taken to protect all air and ground installations."

USN river gunboats USS Luzon (PR-7) and Oahu (PR-6), followed later by submarine rescue vessel USS Pigeon (ASR-6) and minesweeper USS Finch (AM-9), reach Manila.

EAST INDIES: The following message is sent from the U.S. Embassy in Batavia, Netherlands East Indies, to the State Department in Washington, D.C.: "War Department at Bandoeng claims intercepted and decoded following from Ministry Foreign Affairs Tokyo: "When crisis leading to worst arises following will be broadcast at end weather reports: one east wind rain war with United States, two north wind cloudy war with Russia, three west wind clear war with Britain including attack on Thailand or Malaya and Dutch Indies. If spoken twice burn codes and secret papers.' Same re following from Japanese Ambassador Bangkok to Consul General Batavia: "When threat of crisis exists following will be used five times in texts of general reports and radio broadcasts: one Higashi east America, two Kita North Russia, three Nichi west Britain with advance into Thailand and attack on Malaya and Dutch Indies.' Thorpe and Slawson cabled the above to War Department. I attach little or no importance to it and view it with some suspicion. Such have been common since 1936."

PACIFIC OCEAN: Under extremely poor weather and wave conditions, Admiral Nagumo's Hawaiian attack force manages to replenish its fuel stores. The replenishment ships head for the return leg rendezvous point and the carriers turn south for their final run to Hawaii.

That same day, a routine scouting flight from the USN aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) en route from Wake Island to Hawaii, sights Honolulu-bound tug USS Sonoma (AT-12) with Pan American Airways barges PAB No. 2 and PAB No. 4 in tow. USS Sonoma, armed with only two 30-caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, will eventually reach Honolulu on 15 December, with her tows.

WAKE ISLAND: The USN aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), part of Task Force 8, flies off 12 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats, a detachment of Marine Fighting Squadron Two Hundred Eleven (VMF-211), to the island. The Marine fighters are launched when the Enterprise is 75 nautical miles (139 kilometers) north of the island. Task Force 8 then turns east and heads back to Pearl Harbor where they are due to arrive on 6 December. (Dave Shirlaw & Jack McKillop)

A Japanese "Nell" bomber (Mitsubishi G3M2, Type 96 Attack Bomber) of the Chitose Kokutai (Naval Air Corp) based on Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, reconnoitres Wake Island undetected.

Communication Intelligence Summary, 4 December 1941: General.-Traffic volume normal with fair receiving conditions. Takao Radio today instituted a fleet broadcast system using the prefix UTU in heading so that there are now two fleet broadcasts in operation. So far only a few messages have been placed on the Takao broadcast. There were a large number of urgent messages, today, most of these from Tokyo to the major commanders. Among others Tokyo Intelligence originated a seven part message to Chiefs of Staff China Fleet, Combined Fleet, Third Fleet, South China Fleet, French Indo-China Force and Sama. In all, this activity sent twelve messages to the major commanders.

- Combined Fleet.- The outstanding item of today's traffic is the lack of messages from the CinC. Second Fleet and CinC. Third Fleet. These previously very talkative commanders are now very quiet. While the Fleet calls are not yet well identified, the lack of traffic from these commands cannot be ascribed to that. These two commands are still prominent as addressees. It is now believed that the CinC. Second Fleet is in the vicinity of Takao and that the apparently conflicting evidence is due to traffic destined for the Tokyo UTU broadcast which CinC. Second Fleet is still copying. The CinC. Combined Fleet sent one message to an unidentified unit for information to Third Base Force Palao, CinC. Second Fleet and CinC. Third Fleet.

- Fourth Fleet.- The CinC. Fourth Fleet sent a message to Chief of Staff Combined Air Force, information to Eleventh Air Corps, Chitose Air, Air Squadron Twenty-four, Third Base Force at Palao and Fourth Base Force at Truk. No further check could be made today on the presence of Fourth Fleet units in the Marshalls. Jaluit appeared many times in today's traffic being associated with Commander Submarine Force, Tokyo Radio and MUSI 88 (which is believed to be an oil tanker).

- South China.- Bako continues as an active originator addressing many messages to Sama and Saigon. Except for traffic between South China Commanders, all units in that area quiet.

Minesweeper HMCS Lachine launched Levis, Province of Quebec.

Minesweepers HMCS Outarde, Medicine Hat and Melville commissioned.

Corvette HMCS Lunenburg commissioned.

Patrol vessel HMCS Nenamook commissioned.

U.S.A.: The firefighting role of the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army is transferred to the Corps of Engineers.

The Engineers acquired fire stations staffed with professional civilian fire fighters and Army acquired fire apparatus as well as the Quartermaster Corps fire apparatus designers, fire apparatus in the procurement stage and the policies and procedures applicable to peacetime. (Jean Beach)