Saturday, 13 December 1941
USA: Congress, to meet the demand for trained enlisted men, authorizes the retention of enlisted men in the Navy upon the expiration of their enlistments when not voluntarily extended.
China: British withdraw from Kowloon under pressure as Japanese continue drive on Hong Kong.
Caribbean Air Force: The 22d and 23d Pursuit Squadrons (Interceptor), 36th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), transfer from Losey Field to Vega Baja, Puerto Rico with P-36's.
USAAF: 4th Air Force: The 115th Observation Squadron, 69th Observation Group, transfers from Sherwood Field to San Bernardino Army Airfield, California with O-38's, O-47's and O-49's and continues flying ASW patrols.
China: Invading Japanese forces demand the surrender of British troops in Hong Kong. When their request is denied, the Japanese begin bombing the city.
New Guinea: The Australian War Cabinet decide that all white women and children, other than missionary women and nurses who volunteered to stay, would be evacuated at Commonwealth Government expense to Australia via aircraft and ships. Approximately 178 were evacuated from the Territory of Papua and 554 from the Territory of New Guinea with the evacuations completed by December 29, 1941. No provisions were made to evacuate any Chinese women and children.
Philippines: Japanese planes again attack Luzon, virtually completing the destruction of U.S. Army and U.S. Navy planes in the Philippines. Del Carmen, Clark, and Nichols Fields are hit, as well as Baguio, Tarlac, Cabanatuan, Olongapo and Batangas.
Malaya: "Krohcol Force" concentrates in positions 2-3 miles west of Kroh. Indian 11th Div begins withdrawing from Kedah River toward Gurun, a more favorable defense position in south of Kedah some 30 miles south of Jitra. Fighter support is increased as sq from Singapore joins the few fighters based at Ipoh. Reports of Japanese convoy moving SSW from Saigon result in period of sharply increased RAF aerial reconassiance from Malaya.
Borneo: The Miri detachment of Indian Company and engineers completes the destruction of oil fields and installations in east Sarawak and west Brunei to deny them to Japanese then departs for Kuching, where rest of the Indian Battalion, with local and administrative attachments, is disposed to defend Kuching Airfield. Dutch planes at Singkawang Airfield on Borneo join RAF planes from Malaya in searching for Japanese shipping heading southward from Indochina.
Burma: British forces evacuate Victoria Point at the southern tip of Tenasserim.
Japanese planes attack Subic Bay area and airfields in Philippines. During bombing of shipping in Manila Bay by naval land attack planes (Takao Kokutai), unarmed U.S. tankship Manatawny is damaged (see 11 January 1942).
The "Niihau Incident" ends on Niihau a party of Hawaiians sets out for Kauai to inform the outside world of events by Japanese Navy Pilot Officer 1st Class Nishikaichi Shigenori. In the meantime, Nishikaichi burns A6M2 Zero 2266 and the house in which he believes his confiscated papers are hidden. Later, in confrontation with a local Hawaiian, Benny Kanahele, a scuffle to grab the pilot's pistol ensues. Although Kanahele is shot three times, he picks up Nishikaichi bodily and dashes the pilot's head into a stone wall, killing him; Harada Yoshio, the Japanese resident of Niihau who Allied himself with the pilot commits suicide. Kanahele survives his injuries. On the basis of the report by the islanders who have arrived on Kauai after a 15-hour trip, meanwhile, Commander, Kauai Military District (Colonel Edward W. FitzGerald, USA) dispatches expedition of a squad of soldiers from Company M, 299th Infantry in Coast Guard light house tender Kukui to proceed from Kauai to Niihau arriving two days later on December 14, 1941.
Japanese cargo ship Nikkoku Maru is stranded and wrecked off Hainan Island, 18°00'N, 110°00'E.
Gunboat USS Erie (PG-50) embarks 50 Japanese POWs at Puntarenas, Costa Rica detained by the Costa Rican government, and sends a prize crew to take charge of motor vessel Albert.
USMC: Marine Garrison Forces, l4th Naval District, was formed in Honolulu so that all Marine garrison forces in the l4th Naval District could be centrally administered; at this time all barracks and detachments under its command were in the Hawaiian Islands.
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