22 January 1942

U.S.S.R.: Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla: Shipping loss: MS "TSch-250" (uncompleted hull) - grounded by storm in Kerch strait. (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

Leningrad: Evacuation of nearly 500,000 citizens begins via the "ice road" across Lake Ladoga. (About 440,000 people are transported out of Leningrad between 22 January and 15 April 1942.) Meanwhile, Soviet forces recapture Uvarovo, 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of Mozhaisk.

NORTH AFRICA: The Panzergruppe Afrika formally becomes the Panzer Army Africa [Panzerarmee Afrika]

BURMA: The Indian 16th Brigade breaks off action in the Kawkareik area and falls back toward Moulmein.

MALAYA: Lt-Col Charles Groves Wright Anderson (1897-1988), Australian Military Forces, led a force which from 18-22 January destroyed ten tanks and covered 15 miles of enemy territory. (Victoria Cross)

The six-day battle on the Muar front ends in victory for the Japanese. The Indian 45th Brigade, despite close air and naval support during the operation, is destroyed as a fighting body. The Muar force destroys its vehicles and weapons and pushes toward Yong Peng by infiltration, leaving their wounded behind. The Batu Pahat defence force (a detachment of the Indian 11th Division) skirmishes with the Japanese on the Batu Pahat-Ayer Hitam road. The Indian 8th Brigade Group, 9th Division, having withdrawn from the Segamat sector to positions astride the main road between Labis and Yong Peng, is attacked by enemy. The East Force repels the Japanese attempt to cross the river at Mersing. The partly trained Indian 44th Brigade, reinforced, and 7,000 Indian reinforcements arrive at Singapore.

At Parit Sulong the Japanese round up the wounded Australian and Indian soldiers left behind from the Battle of Muar. They are forced to surrender all their belongings including their clothes, which are later returned. The men, now Prisoners of War are beaten, tormented and denied food, water and medical attention. At sunset the men are roped or wired together in groups and led into the jungle where they are shot with machine guns, doused with petrol and set alight. Only Lieutenant Ben Charles Hackney and VX523333 Reginald Arthur Wharton survive, feigning death despite repeated brutalities by the Japanese.

One of those murdered was VX55956 Private Robert Paterson, 22, the son of George and Eileen Paterson of Carlton, Victoria. Uncle of Jim Paterson, contributor to this series. (Jim Paterson)

JAPAN: Tokyo: Tojo warns Australia that "if you continue resistance, we Japanese will show you no mercy."

MAKASSAR STRAIT: The Japanese invasion force headed for Balikpapan, Borneo, crosses the equator at 2000 hours local.
From this date through 3 February, USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses launch at least 15 missions out of Malang, Java, against shipping moving through Makassar Strait between Borneo and Celebes Island. Four missions abort due to bad weather, six end with negative results, and the remaining five suffer heavy losses but sink 4 ships.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Carrier-based aircraft from HIJMS Akagi and HIJMS Kaga attack Rabaul on New Britain Island for the third straight day. The last of the fixed defenses are destroyed.
     Japanese troops land on Mussau Island, largest island in the Saint Mathias group, located 113 miles (182 kilometres) northwest of Kavieng, New Ireland Island.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Bataan, General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief US Army Forces Far East (USAFFE), orders the withdrawal of the entire Mauban-Abucay line southward to a final defence position, behind the Pilar-Bagac road; the withdrawal is to start after nightfall on 23 January and be completed by daylight of 26 January. In the II Corps area, the Japanese open an offensive that forces the Philippine Division back to positions east and south of Abucay Hacienda, approximately those held at beginning of counter-offensive on 16 January. In the I Corps area, elements of 91st Division, Philippine Army (PA), supported by Philippine Scouts of the 26th Cavalry and tanks, attempt unsuccessfully to reduce the roadblock on West Road and to reach 1st Division, PA, troops still fighting along the main line of resistance to the north. The Japanese begin a series of amphibious operations during the night of 22-23 January, when a battalion embarks in barges at Moron and sails toward Caibobo Point, below Bagac.
     Motor Torpedo Boat 34 (PT-34) (Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley) encounters and sinks two landing barges.
     Japanese reinforcements land in the Subic Bay area.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Australian sloop HMAS Warrego and HMAS">SS Koolama land reinforcements on Ambon Island.

NEW GUINEA: Carrier based aircraft from HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku attack Lae, Salamaua and Bulolo.

TERRITORY OF HAWAI'I: The USN’s Task Force Eleven (TF 11) (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.), formed around carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), departs Oahu to raid Wake Island.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The unarmed U.S. freighter SS Norvana is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-123 south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. There are no survivors, and pieces of wreckage from the ship when she explodes hit her attacker.

SS Gandia sunk by U-135 in Convoy ON-54 at 45.00N, 41.00W - Grid BC 9159.

U-333 sank SS Vassilios A. Polemis in Convoy ON-53 at 42.32N, 52.38W - Grid BB 9600.

At 2243, the unescorted motor tanker Innerøy was torpedoed by U-553, caught fire and sank. The master, 30 Norwegians, two British, two Portuguese and one Canadian crewmembers were lost. Five survivors were picked up from a lifeboat 15 hours after the attack by SS Empire Amethyst, which had come across two empty lifeboats from the tanker before locating the survivors who were landed at Halifax.

SS Caledonian Monarch, previously damaged, sunk by U-333 near Loch Ewe

U-203 sank ASW trawler HMS Rosemonde.

At 1239, U-66 fired two stern torpedoes at an unescorted steamer, which broke in two and sank within one minute after being hit twice. The vessel was probably tanker Olympic, which was reported missing after leaving Curaçao.

At 2310, SS Athelcrown dispersed from Convoy ON-56, was torpedoed and sunk by U-82 SE of Cape Race. Five crewmembers were lost. The master, 26 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by the British merchant Argos Hill and landed at Halifax. A British warship rescued eight crewmembers. Four crewmembers found the abandoned, drifting wreck of the Diala, which had been torpedoed on 15 January by U-553 (Thurmann) in 47°28N/39°19W. They remained on board for eight days before they were rescued by the Swedish merchant Saturnus and landed on the Faeroe Isles. The wreck of the Diala was sunk on 23 March by U-587.