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January 18th, 1942 (SUNDAY)

GERMANY: German civilians are to get a taste of the fare being eaten by their soldiers at the front - in the form of "field-kitchen meals" to be served in all German restaurants on Mondays and Thursdays. Customers who bring meat, fat or bread vouchers are entitled to change them for the "voucher-free meal of the day" which usually consists of soup of boiled vegetables.

Neither meal - "served from the same pot as their soldiers" - appears to be winning popular approval. They tend to lack the calorie-rich foods like potatoes, peas or noodles, and there is precious little meat in them.

GERMANY, Italy, and Japan sign a new military pact in Berlin. 

U-275 is laid down.
 

U.S.S.R.: Soviet paratroopers land behind enemy lines south-west of Vyazma. The Soviet Army encircles several German divisions at Demjansk near Lake Ilmen. In the Crimea, German troops of Army Group B recapture Feodosia and seal off the Soviet bridgehead at Kerch. 

GIBRALTAR: An explosion in Gibraltar sank ASW trawler HMS Erin and minesweeping trawler HMS Honjo.
 

PALESTINE: Haifa: Burma's prime minister, U Saw, was arrested here today when his plane touched down while he was returning to Burma from talks with British representatives. He had been trying unsuccessfully to secure a British promise of Burmese independence in return for supporting the war effort. The nationalist U Maung Saw is unpopular with the British authorities, who see him as a demagogue of suspect loyalty. This suspicion now seems justified, because he contacted Japan's legation in Lisbon on his return flight. He was unaware that Britain had broken Japanese codes and knew of these overtures.

AUSTRALIA: Sixteen of the 17 P-40s of the USAAF’s Far East Air Force’s 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) arrive in Darwin, Northern Territory, en route to Java. 

BORNEO: Due to heavy monsoonal rains and wind that continued throughout the day, the Japanese ships carrying the troops invading Sandakan, British North Borneo, must anchor in Sandakan Harbour. 


MALAYA: The Indian 45th Brigade, reinforced, repels further Japanese attacks in the Muar-Yong Peng area and destroys a number of tanks, but the landing of a strong Japanese force a few miles north of Batu Pahat increases the danger in this sector. In the evening, the Commander of West Force orders a withdrawal. The Entire Muar front is placed temporarily under Indian 3 Corps command. During the night of 18/19 January, the Indian 9th Division falls back behind the Muar River, as does the Australian 27th Brigade Group behind the Segamat River. The RAF bomber group withdraws from Singapore Island. to Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies. 

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Bataan, the II Corps renews its efforts to restore its western flank positions. The U.S. 31st Infantry is still unable to gain the Balantay River line on the right and is under strong pressure along the river on the left. A battalion of the 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, reaches the Balantay River to the west of the 31st Infantry and is attached to 31st Infantry. Two other battalions of 45th Infantry advance toward the Balantay between the 31st Infantry and the 41st Division, Philippine Army, but are halted short of the objective. In the I Corps area, the Japanese increase pressure and force outposts to withdraw. A small Japanese force is moving eastward unopposed to outflank the eastern portion of line. 

PHOENIX ISLANDS: The USAAF’s Hawaiian Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses that are part of Task Group 8.9 begin flying antisubmarine patrols from Canton Island. 

JAPAN: The USN submarine USS Plunger (SS-179) torpedoes and sinks a Japanese merchant cargo ship off the mouth of Kii Suido, Honshu, in position 33.30N, 135.00E. 


TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The first U.S. Army engineer troops arrive on Umnak Island to build Otter Point Airfield (renamed Cape Field in 1942). The airfield, which was part of Fort Glenn, is built in secret to protect Dutch Harbor, 70 miles (113 kilometres) to the east. 

U.S.A.:  The first increment (1,400 men) of US forces to be sent to the United Kingdom sails for Northern Ireland. 
      In baseball, New York Yankees center fielder Joe DiMaggio is named 1941's Player of the Year. 

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarines attack three unarmed U.S. merchant ships off the east coast of NORTH AMERICA:

(1) At 0644, the unescorted and unarmed SS Frances Salman was hit by one torpedo from U-552 off Newfoundland, after being missed by four torpedoes in four unsuccessful attacks. The ship attempted to escape and several distress signals were sent, but were not heard by Allied stations. The torpedo, fired from about 500 yards, struck the after part of the ship, causing her to sink by the stern within ten minutes in rough seas. The bow remained above the water for about 25 minutes before disappearing. Some of the eight officers and 20 crewmen managed to launch a lifeboat, but due to the state of the seas, none of the men in the boat survived;

(2) The unarmed tanker SS Allan Jackson proceeding independently without routing instructions about 60 miles ENE of Diamond Shoals, North Carolina, when she was hit by two torpedoes from U-66 at 0833. The first hit the starboard side forward of the bridge in the forward tank and the second hit the starboard side aft of the deckhouse between #2 and #3 tanks and broke the ship in two about 25 feet forward of the midship house, nearly in line with the foremast. This caused both parts of the burning tanker to sink within 10 minutes. Flaming oil spewed from the tanker’s side and spread over the water hundreds of feet around the ship, making it hazardous for the crew to abandon ship. Many of the men burned to death because only the #3 boat with eight men could be launched. Five men jumped into the water and clung to wreckage. The lifeboat picked up the radio operator after 15 minutes. Destroyer USS Roe picked up the 2nd mate, the 3rd mate and an able seaman four hours later. The destroyer then picked up the occupants of the lifeboat and found the master after seven hours in the water. On 19 January, all survivors were landed at Norfolk, Virginia. Of the eight officers and 27 men aboard, only three officers and 10 men survived, eight of them injured; and

(3) a tanker is shelled and damaged by U-123 off Oregon Inlet, North Carolina; although the tanker is torpedoed by U-123 upon the U-boat's return and damaged further, the holed tanker reaches Hampton Roads, Virginia, safely the next day; one man perishes in the shelling and four drown when the ship is abandoned after she is torpedoed. 

SS Dimitrios G Thermiotis sunk by U-86 while in Convoy SC-63 at 51N, 62W - Grid BC 4110.

HMCS Lynx, an armed yacht (ex-SS Ramona), rescued the passengers and crew of the British merchantman MV Empire Kingfisher, which was sunk off Cape Sable by U-109, Kptlt Heinrich Bleichrodt, Knight's Cross, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, CO. The Newport News Shipbuilding Company, in Virginia built lynx in 1922. She was 181 feet long (o.a.) and displaced 495 tons. Commissioned into the RCN on 26 Aug 40, her first assignment was to the Sydney local escort force. She was plagued by chronic mechanical problems that were made worse by a lack of spare parts. Shortly after her rescue operation, Lynx was condemned as unfit for service at sea and was paid off on 23 Apr 43. She was sold for commercial service and was ultimately lost off the coast of Australia (date unknown).

 

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