January 29th, 1942 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: By 464 votes to one the House of Commons today promised "support to the utmost in the vigorous prosecution of the war." This vote of confidence in the government came at the end of a debate lasting 19 hours. It was spread over three days because MPs disperse from Westminster before it gets dark.
The only opposition registered was by three Independent Labour Party members - two as tellers and James Maxton as the lone voter. Over 100 MPs were absent - most on military duties. Mr Churchill announced that he will establish a ministry of production. He was grinning broadly as he left the House after the huge vote.
London: The BBC broadcasts the first edition of Desert Island Discs, presented by Roy Plomley.
Destroyer HS Themistocles (ex-HMS Bramham) launched.
GERMANY: Hitler orders that all methods should be used to bring forced labourers from occupied territories to work for Germany.
U.S.S.R.: On the central front, the Soviet Army continues to deepen its salient southwest of Kaluga and the Soviets report the capture of Sukhinichi.
Soviet submarine V-2 commissioned.
LIBYA: Rommels Axis forces enter Benghazi and capture 1,300 trucks. The Axis main force remains in the Msus area, but elements pursue the Indian 4th Division of the British Eighth Army as it falls back slowly toward the Derna Line.
British commanders in the North African war are facing a new threat - a growing myth among the British troops that "good old Rommel" is invincible.
In a directive issued to senior officers, General Auchinleck has praised his opponent as "very energetic and able". But he continues: "There is a real danger that Rommel is becoming a kind of magician or bogeyman to our troops ... I wish you to dispel by all possible means the idea that Rommel represents something more than an ordinary German general."
IRAN: Tehran: Britain and the USSR, whose forces occupied strategic areas of Iran in a joint operation last August, today signed a treaty of alliance with the young Shah. Under the terms of the treaty British and Russian troops may remain in Iran until six months after the end of the war.
The Allies undertake to respect Iran's territorial intergrity, sovereignty and political independence, and to defend the country from all aggression.
In return, the Shah, who succeeded to the "Peacock Throne" after his pro-Nazi father was deposed, promises "not to adopt in his relations with foreign countries an attitude which is inconsistent with the alliance."
The Persian Corridor is to become the principal route for movement of supplies to the USSR. The alliance started off shakily: the Soviets bought up most of Iran's grain harvest, which caused a bread shortage and riots in the streets. Allied troops put the rebellion down, and the United States shipped in grain to compensate for the losses. The Soviet Union then attempted to agitate for the overthrow of the shah by supporting the Tudeh (Farsi for "masses") party, which the Soviets believed would be more generous in oil concessions. Tudeh forces did manage temporarily to take over northern Iran in December 1944.
JAPAN: Imperial
General Headquarters orders the Navy to secure Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea and
then Tulagi, Solomon Islands. The Army and Navy are ordered to combine their
efforts and seize Port Moresby, New Guinea.
MALAYA: The
withdrawal towards Singapore Island continues. West Force is ordered to
accelerate its withdrawal by one day. Major Angus Rose of the 2nd Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders tries to set up a strongpoint on a golf course; the club
secretary says, "Nothing can be done until we've called a meeting of the
committee." Additional elements of the British 18th Division arrive at
Singapore; two of the ships that transported the troops are the USN transports,
USS Wakefield (AP-21, ex-SS Manhattan) and USS West Point (AP-23, ex-SS
America); also, a squad of obsolete light tanks arrives from India, the only
tanks to reach Malaya.
Four USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, striking out of
Palembang, Sumatra, attack Kuantan Airfield scoring numerous hits on runways and
hangars.
NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese land at
Badoeng Island and Mampawan on Celebes Island.
An estimated five Japanese warships and seventeen
transports, with five unidentified vessels, are reported to be approaching Ambon
Island by RAAF airmen. On Dutch orders Australian engineers destroy naval oil
reserves, bomb dumps, hangers and other equipment at Laha, and attempt to make
the airfield unusable. Ships are sighted before dusk off the coast of Laitimor
Peninsula.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps
withstands further efforts of the Japanese to breach the main line of
resistance. In the I Corps area, troops of 1st and 11th Divisions, Philippine
Army (PA), operate against the Little and Big Pockets, respectively, in an
effort to determine their strength and disposition, and evoke sharp opposition.
Scouts of 1st Battalion, 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts (PS), prepare to
assist the 11th Division in an attack on Big Pocket. In the South Sector, after
a half-hour artillery preparation augmented by fire of the minesweeper USS Quail
(AM-15), the 2d Battalion of the 57th Infantry, PS, attacks and clears
Longoskawayan Point; enemy remnants are being mopped up. The 3d Battalion of
45th Infantry, PS, continues to make slow and costly progress at Canaan Point.
In the Anniston-Psyllium sector, scouts of 2d Battalion, 45th Infantry, PS,
prepare for an attack and are reinforced by 1st Battalion of the Philippine
Constabulary and 1st Battalion of the 12th Infantry, PA, both of these having
been relieved at Canaan Point. Company A of the 57th Infantry, PS, is to guard
West Road.
BORNEO: The Japanese occupy Pontianak, on the west
coast of Dutch Borneo site of a Dutch Naval Air Station.
BURMA: Pilots of the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons,
American Volunteer Group (AVG, aka, “The Flying Tigers”), shoot down 12 Nakajima
Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighters (later given the Allied Code Name “Nate”) near
Rangoon during the afternoon.
David "Tex" Hill, Robert Sandell and Frank Lawlor
of the AVG become an aces in this action. (Skip Guidry)
FIJI: The USAAF
70th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) arrives at Suva on Viti Levu Island from the
U.S. with 25 crated P-39s Airacobras.
TERRITORY OF HAWAII: At Hickam Field, the USAAF Hawaiian Air
Force inactivates the 18th Bombardment Wing and activates the VII Bomber
Command; the new command will control all bomber units.
AUSTRALIA: The government establishes the Manpower Directorate to ensure the organization of all citizens, “in the best possible way to meet” all defence requirements and the essential needs of a community who overriding purpose, “for the duration,” of the war.
U.S.A.: The Combined
Chiefs of Staff establish the ANZAC Area, covering ocean expanses between
Australia, New Zealand, and the French territory of New Caledonia in the New
Hebrides Islands. This area is to be under U.S. naval command.
Five-inch (12.7 cm) projectiles containing radio-proximity fuzes are test
fired at the Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Virginia, and 52 percent of the
fuzes functioned satisfactorily by proximity to water at the end of a 5-mile (8
kilometer) trajectory. This performance, obtained with samples selected to
simulate a production lot, confirmed that the radio proximity fuze would greatly
increase the effectiveness of anti-aircraft batteries and led to immediate small
scale production of the fuze.
ECUADOR: The government breaks diplomatic relations with Germany, Italy and Japan.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: During bad weather in the North Atlantic, a lookout on U-591 broke his arm.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Sotra exploded and sank
after torpedoing by U-431 at
32.07N, 25.30E - Grid CO 6795.
ICELAND: US Coast Guard
gunboat USCGC Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34) is torpedoed by German submarine
U-132 at 1312 hours local 20
miles (32 kilometres) west of Reykjavik, Iceland, while escorting convoy HX-170. One torpedo, of a four-torpedo
spread, smashed into the ship's starboard side, directly abeam of the stack. It
hit the fireroom bulkhead and flooded the two largest compartments of the ship,
blew up two boilers, exploded directly under the main electrical switchboard,
demolished the starboard turbines and flooded the auxiliary engine room, and
wrecked the auxiliary radio generator and emergency diesel generator as well.
The blast also destroyed three of the ships seven boats. The interior of the
ship was plunged into darkness--no heat, steam, nor electricity remained. As the
ship settled by the stern, it is abandoned. Later, a tug attempts to take her to
port but high seas prevent this.
At 1645, the ship was abandoned; the survivors were picked up by Icelandic fishing trawlers and were taken to Reykjavik. The British tugs Restive and Frisky and the USCGC Redwing tried two times to salvage Alexander Hamilton with no success in the heavy seas. Destroyers USS Ericsson and Livermore and the seaplane tender USS Belknap screened the salvage operation. At 1315 on 30 January, Frisky took the ship in tow, but at 2028 hours she suddenly capsized. Ericsson then fired three rounds into the hull and left. As the cutter was reported still afloat in the evening, the destroyer returned to the scene, but found only an oil slick. One day earlier the store ship USS Yukon suffered an engine failure and was floating helpless in the sea. The cutter arrived and took the ship in tow, while destroyer USS Gwin escorted the little convoy toward Reykjavik. Alexander Hamilton cast the towline and proceeded slowly ahead.