December 19, 1941
World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

Friday, 19 December 1941

FEAF: 93rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 19th Bombardment Group air echelon transfers from Clark Field to Batchelor Field near Darwin with B-17's. The ground echelon is attached to the 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional) and will fight as infantry on the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon and Mindanao.

IJN: Japanese bombers from Chitose Kōkūtai (Chitose Air Group) bomb defense battalion facilities at Camp One on Wake Island and Peale Island causing serious damage.

Philippines: Japanese planes bomb Olongapo. The Japanese Legaspi detachment reaches Sipoco and is reported to be advancing toward Daet. During the night Japanese forces from Palau arrives off Davao. Japanese planes including A6M2 Zeros attack Del Monte Airfield and claim two B-17s and three B-18s destroyed.

USN: Task Force 8 (TF 8) under the command of Vice Admiral William F. Halsey formed around USS Enterprise (CV-6), heavy cruisers, and destroyers, departs Pearl Harbor bound for an area west of Johnston and south of Midway to cover Task Force 11 (TF 11) and Task Force 14 (TF 14) operations.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Prusa is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-172 about 150 miles south of Hawaii at roughly Lat 16°45'N, Long 156°00'W.

Malaya: Japanese are active against right flank of Krian River line; on Grik Road, frustrates efforts of Ind 3 Corps to recover lost ground. RAF fighters based at Ipoh are forced to withdraw to Kuala Lumpur. Ind 9th Div continues withdrawal southward in eastern Malaya and abandons Kuala Krai railhead.

Burma: Japanese Army captures Bokpyin roughly 100 miles north of Victoria Point. In Rangoon, the a U.S. officer asks Government of Burma to impound lend-lease material with a valuable part of which is loaded on the SS Tulsa in the Rangoon Harbor, pending a decision on its use. Known as the "Tulsa Incident", the situation is resolved by a senior Chinese representative in Burma who suggest forming a committee to determine the division of stocks.

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