January 1942

1/1/42 A Declaration of United Nations is signed with each signatory pledging not to make a separate peace with any enemy country.

1/2/42 Japanese occupy the city of Manila and the Cavite Naval base Philippines.

1/2/42 In the Alaska Defense Command, the 77th Bomb Squadron is assigned to the 28th Composite Group and the 11th Pursuit Squadron joins the Provisional Interceptor Command (IC). Alaskan air strength is comprised of 2 pursuit and 3 bomb squadrons.

1/4/42 Fighters based on the peninsula of Bataan in the Northwest Philippines, attempt to intercept Japanese bombing of Corregidor, the island guarding the entrance of Manilla Bay.

1/5/42 B-17’s from Malang on East Java Indonesia fly due north to stage through Samarinda in Northern Indonesia and attack shipping in Davao Bay, Philippines.

1/10/42 Fighter units complete their movement begun 24 December 1941 from various bases throughout the Northern island of Luzon onto the Bataan Peninsula, on Western Luzon, Philippines.

1/13/42 American and British Chief of Staffs’ (CoSs) formally adopt an agreement to begin movement of American air forces to the United Kingdom (UK) as soon as possible in order to intensify attack on Germany.

1/14/42 The Far East Air Force HQ (FEAF HQ) moves from Darwin, Australia to the island of Java.

1/15/42 The Alaskan Air Force is activated at Elmendorf Field. under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Everett S. Davis.

1/16/42 The first significant deployment of aircraft from the Hawaiian Air Force (AF) begins with movement of 6 B-17’s, under the command of Lt. Colonel Walter C. Sweeney, to Palmyra Atoll, located south of the Hawaiian Islands in the Central Pacific Ocean for duty with Navy Task Group (TG) 8.9.

1/17/42 B-17’s from Malang on East Java, staging through Kendari, hit Langoan Airfield (A/F) and ships in Menado Bay in Northern Indonesia near the Celebes Sea.

1/17/42 B-17’s of Navy Task Group (TG) 8.9 from Palmyra Atoll unsuccessfully attack submarines in Hawaiian area and proceed to Canton Island.

1/18/42 The first group of US forces, 1,400 men to be sent to the United Kingdom (UK) sails for Northern Ireland.

1/19/42 B-17’s, flying out of Malang, East Java, Indonesia, attack shipping at Jolo an island on the southwest Philippines bordered by the Celebes and Sulu Seas.

1/19/42 B-17’s of the Hawaiian Air Force (AF) assigned to Navy Task Group (TG) 8.9 fly an antisubmarine mission from Canton Island in the Central Pacific.

1/20/42 General Brett, CG USAFIA (Commanding General of US Air Forces in Australia), halts the ferrying of aircraft from India to the Netherlands East Indies. The Army Air Forces (AAF) had been sending Heavy Bombers (HBs) to Java, Indonesia on a south and easterly route through Africa and India, however the Japanese had started to intercept and inflict heavy losses on AAF aircraft along the last stops of this route.

1/22/42 From the 22nd until the 3rd of February, planes assigned to the Far East Air Force, fly at least 15 missions out of Malang on East Java, Indonesia against shipping moving through the Makassar Strait due north of the island. Four missions aborted due to bad weather, six end with negative results, and the
remaining five missions suffered heavy losses but sank four enemy ships.

1/21/42 B-17’s of the Hawaiian Air Force assigned to Navy, Task Group (TG) 8.9 fly from Canton Island to Nandi.

1/24/42 A Special Court of Inquiry on Pearl Harbor, headed by Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, places main responsibility for the 7 December 1941 disaster on Navy Admiral Kimmel and Army General Short, accusing them of neglecting to heed attack warning, failing to confer with each other, and taking only minimum precautions with regard to attack, invasion, sabotage and overall defense of the islands.

1/25/42 The AAF 17th Pursuit Squadron, Provisional under the command of Major Charles A. Sprague, arrives in Java with 13 P-40’s flown from Australia.

1/26/42 General Hap Arnold in a organizational structure plan recommends to the Army Chief of Staff (CoS) that AAFIB (Army Air Forces In Britain) be composed of a Headquarters (HQ) and 3 commands: bomber, interceptor,
and base.

1/26/42 Fighters based on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines bomb and strafe Nichols and Nielson Fields on Luzon, inflicting considerable damage on Japanese aircraft and fuel storage.

1/28/42 The Eighth Air Force is activated at Savannah AB (Air Base) with Colonel Asa N. Duncan commanding.

1/28/42 B-17’s of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) flying from bases at Malang and Palembang attack Japanese Airfields (A/Fs) at Kendari and Kuala Lumpur.

1/29/42 B-17’s, striking out of bases at Palembang on West Java Indonesia, hit the Kuantan Air Field the mainland north of Singapore scoring numerous hits on runways and
hangars.

1/29/42 In the Hawaiian Air Force, the VII Bomber Command (BC) is activated. B-17’s assigned to Navy Task Group (TG) 8.9 fly from Canton Island to Palmyra.

1/30/42 In the Hawaiian Air Force, (AF), B-17’s of Navy TG 8.9 return to Hawaii, having completed a mission over the course of a few weeks. This mission provided a pioneer look at the problem of air operations over vast Pacific areas, revealing issues of navigation and the logistics of aircraft service maintenance.

1/31/92 General Ira Eaker is designated Commanding General (CG) of Bomber Command, US Air Forces British Isles (USAFBI) and ordered to proceed to this new post.

January 1942

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