December 12, 1941
World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

Friday, 12 December 1941

USA: The U.S. government seizes French ships in U.S. ports.

USN: Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) is established. Secretary of the Navy Knox departs Oahu after inspecting the damage done by the Japanese attack of 7 December.

Pacific: The "Pensacola Convoy" from Hawaii toward Far East under escort of USS Pensacola (CA-24) is organized as Task Force South Pacific and placed under command of Brig Gen Julian F. Barnes.

Philippines: Japanese make another preliminary landing, at Legaspi in southern Luzon. A task force of 2,500 men from Palau goes ashore unopposed and secures Legaspi and Legaspi Airfield. Maj Gen George M. Parker, Jr., whose South Luzon Force consists of 41st Division (PA) and 51st Division (PA), sends elements of 51st forward to delay enemy, but contact is not made for several days. Tuguegarao airfield falls to Aparri force early in morning. Japanese planes attack Luzon in force. Iba and Clark Fields are targets, with main force against Iba. Batangas is an alternate target.

Malaya: Gen Percival decides to withdraw Ind 3 Corps from Kelantan since airfields there are already in possession of Japanese; movement of surplus supplies to rear is begun. Troops fight delaying actions while awaiting rolling stock in which to withdraw. Japanese penetrate Jitra position and force Ind 11th Div TF back to Kedah R. Ind 11th Div force, called Krohcol force, on Kroh- Patani road, also falls back under pressure and at midnight 12-13 passes to direct command of corps. Ind 12th Brig Gp is released from reserve for action on W coast.

Burma: Japanese begin small-scale operations, using infiltration tactics. From Thailand, small force crosses into lower Tenasserim unopposed. Gen Sir Archibald P. Wavell, CinC India, is given responsibility for Burma, previously within Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham's Far Eastern Command, and is promised reinforcements to strengthen the small garrison, fighting strength of which does not exceed 30 bns during the campaign. Lt Gen D. K. MacLeod's Burma Army, charged with protecting Burma Road and Tenasserim airfields, is a heterogeneous group of Burmese, Ind, and Br forces, some poorly trained, formed into Burma 1st Div (Burma 1st and 2d Brigs and Ind 13th Brig) and Ind 16th Brig. The 16 obsolete RAF fighters on hand are augmented by sq of American V olunteer Group (A VG) fighters, which is flown in to Mingaladon Airfield from AVG base in China. Air strength is eventually increased but not enough to alter ground operations materially.

IJN: More than 100 Japanese aircraft strike Clark Field, Batangas and Olongapo.

IJA: Japanese Army continue landing in northern Luzon. The "Tanaka Detachment" occupies Tuguegarao. The "Kanno Detachment" occupies Laoag.

FEAF: A single B-17 bombs without scoring any hits on Japanese transports off Vigan. The 3d Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), transfers from Nichols to Ternate and operating from Del Carmon with P-40's.

In the morning, P-40E Warhawk pilot 1st Lieutenant Boyd D. "Buzz" Wagner of the 17th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) performs on a solo reconnaissance flight over Aparri and spots two destroyers offshore came under anti-aircraft fire, flew inland and was attacked by two fixed landing gear Japanese fighters then engaged them and claimed both as shot down in flames. Next, he made two strafing passes over Appari Airfield. For his daring mission, he was praised and became one of the first Philippine pursuit pilots made into a hero by the press back home.

Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC): Six P-26 Peashooters led by Captain Jesús A. Villamor scramble to intercept fifty-four Japanese bombers attacking Batangas Airfield. Although outnumbered, their harassing tactics minimized damage. For his actions, he later earned an oak leaf cluster for his Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).

Japanese reconnaissance flying boats (Yokohama Kokutai) bomb Wake Island in pre-dawn raid. Later in the day, land attack planes (Chitose Kokutai) bomb Wake.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Vincent is shelled and sunk by Japanese armed merchant cruisers Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru about 600 miles northwest of Easter Island, 22°41'S, 118°19'E, and her entire crew captured.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Lahaina, shelled and torpedoed by Japanese submarine I 9 the previous day, sinks (see 21 December).

Japanese Naval Aviation Pilot First Class Nishikaichi Shigenori begins, with aid of Harada Yoshio, a Japanese resident of Niihau, to terrorize the inhabitants of the island into returning papers confiscated on 7 December. In response to this campaign of intimidation, the islanders flee to the hills (see 13 December).

Submarine S 38 (SS-143) mistakenly torpedoes and sinks Norwegian merchantman Hydra II west of Cape Calavite, Mindoro, P.I., believing her to be a Japanese auxiliary. Hydra II had been en route from Bangkok, Thailand, to Hong Kong, when she is diverted to Manila by the outbreak of war.

During Japanese bombing of shipping off Cebu, in the Visayan Sea, Philippine passenger vessel Governor Wright is sunk, 12°55'N, 123°55'E.

Dutch submarines operate off Malaya against Japanese invasion shipping. K XII torpedoes and sinks army cargo ship Toro Maru off Kota Bharu, 06°08'N, 102°16'E; O 16 torpedoes and damages army cargo ships Tozan Maru, Kinka Maru, and Asosan Maru off Patani/Singora.

Japanese minelayer/netlayer Naryu is damaged by marine casualty, Tomogashima Channel.

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